IN HOG HEAVEN
Brazil bailout dandy for U.S. farmers: feds
The Trump administration on Thursday defended its $62 million bailout to a Brazilian meatpacking company controlled by a pair of corrupt brothers, arguing the private pork payout will eventually trickle down to struggling U.S. farmers.
Food industry watchdogs were baffled that JBS USA, owned by shady food industry titans Joesley and Welsey Batista, have their snouts so deep in an American bailout money pot, even though it’s designed to support American farmers hit hard by President Trump’s trade war.
But the Department of Agriculture said it doesn’t matter the funds went to the Brazilian bad boys — both of whom have confessed to bribing hundreds of top officials in their home country — because the program was designed to subsidize “approved vendors who have proven they can procure” products made in the U.S.
“This means that regardless of who the vendor is, the products purchased are grown in the U.S. and benefit U.S. farmers,” a spokesman for the department said in a statement to the Daily News. “JBS qualifies as a bidder under this criteria. This is similar to someone buying JBS bacon in a grocery store. Regardless of the packaging, the bacon inside is from a hog grown on an American farm.”
The agency did not address the ethically compromised Batistas.
The Batista brothers both spent time behind bars on bribery charges and aren’t allowed to leave Brazil as their court cases are being resolved. Their company is also being investigated by the Justice Department over possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in the U.S., according to court papers.
The Agriculture Department spokesman did not respond to followup questions about whether the administration was aware of the Batistas’ sweeping corruption and sketchy record when the bailouts were made.
Farm industry groups questioned why the administration is using JBS as a middleman, noting that the bailout program was drawn up for the explicit purpose of helping American farmers hurt by the trade war with China and other nations.
“Since it’s the farmers who are paying the price for the trade war, why don’t we just give the money directly to the farmers instead of giving it to these multinational corporations?” said Tony Corbo, a lobbyist at Food & Water Watch.
Moreover, Corbo said there’s no proof the money forked over to JBS actually benefits American farmers. Considering the Batistas’ corrupt past, Corbo added the administration should exercise more caution in awarding taxpayer-funded contracts.
“Privately, I’ve called these contracts that JBS has been given the private Batista defense fund,” Corbo said. “I have asked USDA the question face to face, ‘Where is this money going?’ and they haven’t responded …. The bottom line here is where is this money going?”