This article first appeared in The Grand Island Independent.
An organization called Ban the Batistas is calling for a global consumer boycott of JBS brands ahead of the company’s annual shareholder meeting in New York City on April 26.
The organization does not want to see JBS owners Joesley and Wesley Batista reappointed to the company’s board of directors.
Ban the Batistas says it is “a leading advocacy group working to protect farmers, ranchers, consumers and investors from the threat of JBS and its corrupt owners.”
The Batista brothers stepped down from executive positions at JBS in 2018, though they maintained control as owners of JBS’s holding company, J&F Investimentos.
“Even after this cosmetic distancing, JBS has continually faced a series of antitrust cases across the entire U.S. meat industry, scrutiny for its ongoing deforestation practices by U.S. senators, and a recent lawsuit brought by New York State Attorney General Leticia James for greenwashing practices tantamount to fraud,” says Ban the Batistas.
The company plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange later this year.
JBS brands include 1855 Black Angus Beef, 5 Star Beef, Blue Ribbon Beef, Certified Angus Beef, Clear River Farms, Just Bare, Pilgrim’s Pride, Richmond, Swift and The Honest Butcher. There is a Swift/JBS plant in Grand Island.
Given an opportunity to comment by The Independent, a spokeswoman for JBS did not respond.
