Source:  Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 7/22/09

JBS S.A. is relocating corporate jobs associated with the former Smithfield Beef Group it acquired last year from their current location in Green Bay, Wis., to Greeley, Colo., where JBS' U.S. operations are headquartered.

"This was the plan all along," JBS spokesman Chandler Keys told Meatingplace, noting that with the acquisition came duplications in such areas as sales, IT, quality assurance and engineering.

Keys said while a number of employees have opted to move to Greeley, others have not and some jobs are also being lost in Green Bay due to duplication.

About 15 to 30 jobs will be lost in Green Bay, the Green Bay Press Gazette quoted the city economic director as saying. Keys said he could not put a number on job losses as the consolidation is still in transition, but said that ballpark estimate was probably accurate.

The consolidation efforts will have no impact on former Smithfield Beef Group processing plants in the Green Bay area, said Keys, and some related corporate sales and finance positions will also remain local.

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