JBS USA Settles Child Labor Violations

LINCOLN, Neb. (DTN) -- The nation's largest meatpacking company JBS USA Food Company will pay $4 million as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), in connection with the company's use of child labor at meatpacking plants across the country.

The DOL said on Monday the funds would be used to "prevent illegal child labor" and support victims of child labor nationwide while prioritizing those efforts in Guntersville, Alabama; Greeley, Colorado; Ottumwa, Iowa; Worthington, Minnesota; and Grand Island, Nebraska -- communities where JBS operates meatpacking plants.

In addition, JBS will be required to hold third-party contractors and service providers accountable for illegal child labor.

In 2022, the DOL investigated JBS meatpacking plants in several states and found that sanitation company Packers Sanitation Services Inc. LTD employed at least 31 minors in hazardous occupations to do overnight cleaning at JBS plants.

Since 2022, the DOL said it investigated various third-party contractors that provide sanitation services at meatpacking plants, as well as service providers of poultry-catching operations across the U.S.

The investigations discovered JBS's third-party service providers employed children in dangerous jobs and during overnight shifts at the company's facilities in Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska.

In 2024, department investigators found more than 4,000 children had been employed in violation of federal child labor laws, the DOL said.

"The division continues to prioritize protecting children and currently has over 1,000 open child labor investigations," the DOL said in a news release.

The agreement also requires JBS to take a number of other actions, including hosting or sponsoring a symposium focused on preventing illegal child labor for industry leaders, non-profits and other interested parties committed to "combating unlawful child labor."

JBS will be required to hire a child labor compliance specialist to review policies, develop training materials and conduct unannounced audits.

The company is incorporating a "zero-tolerance" policy in any contract agreements with third-party sanitation firms or poultry-catching service providers.

JBS will be required to conduct community outreach to educate communities about the prohibitions on child labor at meat packing plants.

The company will be conducting targeted advertising campaigns to raise awareness about unlawful child labor in Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska, and will require nationwide training on prevention of illegal child labor to all third-party sanitation employers at JBS facilities and all JBS meatpacking employees.

"Under this agreement, JBS USA Food Company has adopted creative and forward-thinking compliance measures to combat illegal child labor," said Jessica Looman, wage and hour administrator at the DOL.

"JBS has taken responsibility for children performing dangerous work at its facilities by proposing concrete and enforceable solutions to address those issues, setting the standard as a market leader in preventing illegal youth employment."

JBS is headquartered in Greeley, Colorado, and operates nine U.S. facilities offering beef products to more than 44 countries on six continents. It is also the second-largest fresh pork producer, with five U.S. facilities offering pork products to more than 26 countries on five continents.

The company employs more than 37,000 people at its plants, and its products are sold under dozens of brand names including Pilgrim's, Primo and Swift in the U.S. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of JBS S.A. in Brazil, the world's largest processor of fresh beef and pork, with more than $50 billion in annual sales.

Read more on DTN:

"Child Labor Violations Alleged," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"Company to Fix Child Labor Violations," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com

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