SÃO PAULO, 18 September 2025 (Reuters) – JBS, the world’s largest meat company, views the European meat market as “fragmented” and therefore full of acquisition opportunities, said Wesley Batista, majority shareholder of the now New York-listed company, on Tuesday 16 September 2025 during a live-streamed event.
Speaking alongside Marcos Molina, majority shareholder of rival companies Marfrig and BRF, Batista and Molina responded to questions from the event’s moderator on the dominant role of certain Brazilian companies in global meat trade.
“Absolutely,” said Batista when asked about the possibility of pursuing acquisitions worldwide. “There are many opportunities in Europe and in other countries,” he added.
“Absolutely,” said Batista when asked about the possibility of pursuing acquisitions worldwide. “There are many opportunities in Europe and in other countries,” he added.
JBS’s listing on the New York Stock Exchange in early 2025 has given the company access to a broader pool of investors, helping it reduce its cost of capital and compete with rivals such as Tyson in the US and major competitors in Brazil.
However, while the company still has room to expand through acquisitions in Europe, the same would not apply in the United States and Brazil, given the competition concerns that antitrust authorities would raise.
“I cannot acquire more integrated operations (slaughter plants) for beef, pork and poultry because we hold between 20% and 25% of the North American market for these three proteins,” said Batista.
“I cannot acquire more integrated operations (slaughter plants) for beef, pork and poultry in the US because we hold between 20% and 25% of the North American market for these three proteins,” said Batista.
He noted that the situation is similar in Brazil, making it unlikely that JBS would pursue acquisitions in the local processed foods segment, for example.
Batista also stated during the discussion that the use of medications such as Mounjaro and Ozempic is driving protein demand worldwide, which is a positive development for food companies in general.
Batista noted that 15 million Americans regularly use these weight-loss drugs, adding that data to quantify the resulting increase in meat demand linked to their use are not yet available.