The initiative is designed to encourage maximum participation in the Biden Administration’s accelerated pandemic response efforts.

Andre Nogueira, CEO of JBS USA, said: “Our goal in offering this extra pay is to remove any barriers to vaccination and incentivise our team members to protect themselves, their families and their co-workers. With nearly 66,000 US team members, we are hopeful this initiative will lead to high vaccination participation rates that will benefit our workforce and the rural communities and cities in which they live and work across America.”

The company previously announced the removal of vulnerable populations from its workforce with full pay and benefits, which meant about 11% of the US workforce. 

At the start of the pandemic in 2020, meat factories became a source of mass infections, with workers contracting covid-19 and factories closing. This led to shortages and delays in the meat supply chain, and then-President Donald Trump signed an executive order to force the facilities to stay open.