“INSIGNIFICANT”— That’s What the Largest Meat Packer Just Called Your Tariff War

Trump’s 76% tariff on Brazilian beef was billed as a blow to foreign meat. But for JBS—the world’s biggest meatpacker, based in Brazil—it’s just vertical integration with a red, white, and blue ribbon.

Let’s be blunt: The name changed. The supply chain didn’t. The cartel won.

Brazil Takes the Hit- But JBS Doesn’t Bleed

Brazil exported 181,000 metric tons of beef to the U.S. in H1 2025, worth over $1 billion. The tariff hits August 1—raising total duties to 76%. Brazil’s industry group ABIEC, which includes JBS, warned exports would become “inviable”, estimating $1.3 billion in lost sales.

But JBS stock? Up 0.4% on the day of the announcement. Trading stable at $13.60 USD as of July 30.

Why?

JBS Already Owns America’s Meat Rack

While the press screamed “Brazil loses,” JBS laughed from its 250+ global plants, including dozens in the U.S., and majority ownership of Pilgrim’s Pride—the country’s second-largest poultry processor.

• U.S. operations = 37.5 billion reais in Q1 2025, up 36% YoY
• $200M U.S. plant expansion completed earlier this year
• Pork and poultry offset any beef slowdown

As JBS CEO Gilberto Tomazoni told reporters:

“The global trade war has had an insignificant impact” thanks to “diversified production across Brazil, Australia, and the U.S.”

Translation: We own the game board. You just changed one tile.

DEPORT JBS: The Cartel-Linked Meat Giant Hiding in Plain Sight

Cut Imports, Raise Prices, Profit in the U.S.

Here’s the grift:

1. Imports drop due to tariffs
2. Supply tightens (U.S. production down 2% this year due to drought and border issues)
3. Prices spike on retail shelves
4. JBS U.S. division sells more beef at higher margins

And who’s paying for it?

American families, buying inflated beef. American ranchers, still forced to fund Beef Checkoff ads. And a market still labeled “Product of USA,” even when owned by a foreign multinational whose home country just got “banned”.

The Fallacy of “Buy American”- When JBS is American Beef

Let’s connect the dots:

• Tariff stops Brazilian beef
• But JBS U.S. beef is still labeled as domestic
• MCOOL remains dead, thanks to WTO rulings
• And JBS still controls a massive share of the beef supply, regardless of origin

So when the press says “Brazil loses,” what they mean is: “JBS Brazil pivots to JBS America.”

JBS didn’t lose. It Relocated.

It leveraged the tariff to kill off import rivals and lock in domestic dominance.

They’re now lobbying harder in D.C., exploiting USDA labeling loopholes, and hedging with chicken and pork while the world obsesses over cattle trade.

In short: They played both sides—and won.

Stop Playing on their Field

Demand Congress pass S.421 and restore Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling
Break the USDA–JBS pipeline. Expose foreign control of our domestic food supply
Defund the Beef Checkoff. End forced funding of multinational marketing scams
Buy rancher direct from BeefMaps.com

The tariff wasn’t a punishment. It was a transfer of power.

Brazil took the headline. And JBS took the profits.

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