Christine Ball-Blakely, a senior staff attorney at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, said JBS is one of the largest meatpacking corporations in the nation and has a lengthy list of violations. She added that the Trump administration has indicated it wants to further loosen slaughterhouse regulations.
"As a result of that, both human and animal welfare are compromised," she said. "This case is a great example of how industrial animal agriculture harms humans, in addition to animals."
The class-action case alleges the facility emits "noxious odors” that impact surrounding neighborhoods. Under the proposed settlement, the company would pay $500,000 into a fund to be distributed to residents within one mile of the plant who have completed the claim-filing process. JBS did not admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement.
Ball-Blakely said humane treatment of animals is closely related to contamination and food safety, along with air and water pollution. She explained that research has also shown that slowing the pace at which animals are slaughtered helps workers avoid physical injury.
"Slaughterhouse work is extraordinarily dangerous," she said. "It's one of the most dangerous jobs that exists in the United States, and the folks who are doing that sort of work tend to be members of marginalized communities."
Virtually all of the meat, dairy, and egg products on supermarket shelves come from factory farms and are processed in industrial facilities, Ball-Blakely said.
"The industry does not want the public to see how much animals are suffering in this system," she said. "They don't want us to see the unsanitary conditions in which the animals are confined, and transported, and ultimately processed."
JBS has also garnered the attention of federal regulators for child labor violations. In 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor said the company would pay $4 million to assist individuals and communities affected by unlawful child labor practices.
