JBS USA to build $135M sausage plant in Iowa

JBS is aggressively investing in its manufacturing footprint as it aspires to be “America’s leading food producer.”

“This investment [in Iowa] underscores our commitment to rural America and our confidence in the strength of the U.S. market,” Wesley Batista Filho, CEO of JBS USA, said in a statement.

JBS’ planned listing of its shares and U.S. expansion have come under fire from environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers. They warn the meat giant has a long history of ties to deforestation, child labor and other corporate violations.

The company’s recent U.S. investments could assuage some of those concerns, with JBS touting the plans as a way to strengthen rural communities and economic development.

Notably, the decision to build in Perry comes more than a year after Tyson Foods shuttered a pork plant in the Iowa city and laid off more than 1,200 workers.

Tyson’s layoffs sparked pushback from local and federal officials, and the plant remains dormant as the city considers future development opportunities.

In addition to replacing some of those jobs, JBS’ investment also presents new opportunities for pork producers who lost business from Tyson’s exit. The JBS factory is expected to process 500,000 sows a year.