Brazil-Tyson Foods.

BRAZIL.

TYSON FOODS.

Tyson Foods has contracted with Brazilian poultry company Globoaves to produce and slaughter chickens, and is setting agreements with 670 new growers with a goal of becoming one of the five main poultry producers in Brazil.

"International expansion is one of our fundamental strategic objectives and, therefore, we chose a company that has all the necessary certifications to export to the European Union and the so-called General List, which includes countries from Asia, Africa and Middle East, among others," explained Joster Macedo, president of Tyson do Brasil.

"They will handle live bird production, slaughtering and cutting, always in accordance with our specifications," Macedo said. The value of the agreement was not disclosed.

Globoaves will produce up to 60,000 chickens per day for Tyson.

Aiming to become one of the five main poultry producers in Brazil, Tyson will contract 670 new growers to supply its units in Sao Jose and Itaiopolis, in Santa Catarina, and Campo Mourao, in Parana.

As a result, in 2009 the grower network in Itaiopolis and Campo Mourao will jump to 340 farms and will grow to an estimated 350 farms in Sao Jose.