1855
Swift & Company operations can be traced back to 1855, when 16-year-old Gustavus Franklin Swift founded a butchering operation in
Swift & Company operations can be traced back to 1855, when 16-year-old Gustavus Franklin Swift founded a butchering operation in Eastham, Massachusetts . [ 2 ] Its early origins on Cape Cod led later to locations in Brighton (in Massachusetts), and Albany , and Buffalo, New York . In 1875, Swift and Company was incorporated in Chicago. Swift and Armour and Company acquired a two-thirds controlling interest in the Fort Worth Stockyards in 1902. [ 3 ] That same year, an antitrust lawsuit was filed against Swift for conspiring with other companies to control the meatpacking industry. The companies attempted to merge to avoid the suit, leading to the 1905 Supreme Court case of Swift & Co. v. United States .
1973
Swift formed the holding company Esmark
In the 1960s, Swift expanded into a lot of other fields, including insurance and petroleum, and formed the holding company Esmark in 1973. Two years later, Esmark bought International Playtex from Meshulam Riklis ' Rapid-American Corporation. Esmark sold off Globe Life Insurance to the Ryan Insurance Group in 1977. [ 4 ]
1980
Esmark left the petroleum business
Esmark left the petroleum business in 1980, selling Vickers Petroleum to Mobil, while Swift's fresh-meat business was spun off as a separate company, Swift Independent Packing Company (SIPCO), the same year. [ 5 ] Esmark went on to purchase Norton Simon Inc. in 1983 before being purchased by Beatrice Foods the next year. ConAgra purchased 50% of SIPCO in 1987 and the remaining portion in 1989, the same year ConAgra bought Beatrice Foods. [ 6 ] ConAgra merged SIPCO's operations with that of Monfort, the meatpacker it had purchased in 1987, and the division was renamed Swift & Company in 1995. [ 6 ]
2008
JBS acquires the beef operations of Smithfield Foods
Following the acquisition, JBS expanded its U.S. operations through a series of additional purchases. In 2008, it acquired the beef operations of Smithfield Foods for $565 million. The same year, it announced plans to acquire National Beef Packing Company for $560 million, but canceled the purchase after the U.S. Department of Justice raised antitrust concerns. In 2009, JBS USA acquired a 63% stake in poultry producer Pilgrim's Pride. It later increased its ownership share to 75.3%.
October 18, 2012
JBS USA announced it would assume temporary management of XL Foods ' Lakeside beef processing plant
On October 18, 2012, JBS USA announced it would assume temporary management of XL Foods ' Lakeside beef processing plant in Brooks, Alberta , under a 60-day agreement that included an exclusive purchase option for XL Foods' U.S. and Canada operations. The acquisition was completed in January 2013 and included the Brooks facility, a second beef plant in Calgary , and a feedyard. In July 2015, JBS USA acquired the U.S. pork processing business of Cargill Meat Solutions for $1.45 billion.
2019
The Trump administration allocated $62.4 million to JBS USA
It came from a fund intended to help U.S. farmers affected by the trade war with China. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a contract the same year to purchase $22.3 million worth of pork from the company. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Attorney General Jeff Sessions requested the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate a possible case of corruption. There were also indications that JBS benefited from trade tensions with increased sales in China. JBS stated that despite being a foreign company, it supports American farmers by creating job opportunities. In May 2019, Representative Rosa DeLauro claimed that President Donald Trump was unaware of the situation.
2020
The JBS facility in Greeley, Colorado came into national focus during the COVID-19 outbreak when at least 50 workers tested positi
The JBS facility in Greeley, Colorado came into national focus during the COVID-19 outbreak when at least 50 workers tested positive by April 10, 2020, and two workers died of the disease. [ 35 ] By April 14, a third worker died. President Donald Trump referred to the case in the daily White House briefing on April 10. [ 36 ] All workers were supposed to be tested during the Easter holidays, with the plant being closed until April 24, 2020. However, when this testing did not occur, a JBS company spokesman announced that workers would be quarantined. [ 37 ] The plant reopened after a 9-day closure. [ 38 ] By April 15, 102 workers had tested positive for the coronavirus and four had died. [ 39 ] COVID-19 outbreaks were also detected in six other JBS beef processing plants, in Souderton, Pennsylvania ; Plainwell, Michigan ; Green Bay, Wisconsin ; Cactus, Texas ; Grand Island, Nebraska ; and Hyrum, Utah . [ 40 ] [ 41 ] [ 42 ]
May 2022
The US House Select Oversight Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis releases a report about the relationship between the Trump administration and the meat packing industry during the COVID-19 pandemic
In May 2022, the United States House Select Oversight Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released a report detailing the relationship between the Trump administration and the meat packing industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report describes the CEO of JBS (along with the CEOs of Tyson and Smithfield) asking the secretary of agriculture, Sonny Perdue , about elevating the need for workers to stay present at work, despite the risk of working in close quarters during the pandemic.
Editorial standard
Documented relationships, not implied wrongdoing
Government connection does not by itself establish corruption, control, favoritism, or causation. Timeline descriptions distinguish government founding, research support, customers, contracts, regulation, acquisitions, and personnel movement, and link the underlying evidence.