In 2008, when JBS announced it was buying National Beef Packing, the U.S.' fourth-largest beef processor, regulators in Washington filed an antitrust lawsuit asserting the acquisition would impose a "fundamental restructuring of the U.S. beef-packing industry" and "eliminate head-to-head competition, " hence bringing up consumer prices.
One telling ruling: A Delaware court earlier this year told Tyson Foods it had to proceed with its acquisition of IBP, despite a short-term decline in earnings at the beef-and-pork processor.