Nigerian Activists Challenge Global Meat Giant’s Expansion: A Battle for Food Sovereignty and Local Farming Survival

A storm of resistance is rising across Nigeria as environmental groups, farmers, and civil society organizations push back against the entry of Brazilian meat giant JBS S.A. into the country’s livestock and poultry industry. The company’s recent agreement with the Nigerian government to establish six large processing plants — for poultry, beef, and pork — is being hailed by officials as a boost to food security and job creation. Yet many Nigerians see it as a threat to the nation’s food independence and the survival of local farmers.

Source:FeedStuffs

Critics argue that Nigeria doesn’t need industrial agribusinesses to fix its food challenges but rather policies that empower smallholders and sustain the environment. Groups like Environmental Rights Action (ERA) and Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) warn that global corporations such as JBS often profit from land, labor, and natural resources in developing nations while leaving communities poorer and ecosystems damaged.

Environmental campaigner Mariann Bassey-Olsson has become one of the loudest voices opposing the deal, pointing to JBS’s troubling record in Brazil — from deforestation in the Amazon to alleged land grabbing and human rights abuses. She cautions that such practices could be repeated in Nigeria, especially as the details of the government’s agreement remain undisclosed.

Beyond environmental fears, many Nigerians worry about the survival of their local poultry and livestock systems. For generations, families have raised animals in open, community-centered settings that preserve culture, biodiversity, and local livelihoods. Industrial-scale farming, activists say, would replace this heritage with cage-based production lines that could drive small farmers out of business and erode food sovereignty.

Supporters of the deal insist that JBS’s investment will reduce meat imports and create jobs amid rising hunger and food costs. But activists argue that genuine progress lies in strengthening smallholder farmers through better infrastructure, veterinary services, and locally owned processing facilities — not in handing control of Nigeria’s food chain to a foreign conglomerate.

Civil society groups are now taking the message to the public through community meetings and media campaigns, demanding transparency and citizen involvement in decisions that affect the country’s agricultural future. For many, the debate has grown beyond poultry and beef — it has become a defining question of who controls Africa’s food systems. Will Nigeria’s food future belong to its people or to global corporations chasing profit? The answer may shape the continent’s agricultural destiny for years to come.