Brazil-JBS to employ 5,000 more staff to cope with additional cattle.

BRAZIL-JBS-Swift. When the going gets tough the tough get going.

Brazilian meatpacker JBS SA, owner of the Friboi Group, said Monday night that it is planning to increase output and hire more workers in the face of problems faced by competitors.

"In view of recent events in the beef sector in Brazil, JBS advises its

shareholders and the market in general that it has not observed any reduction

in margins in its activities in Brazil during the first two months of 2009,"

the company said in a statement.

The company said it will increase production at selected processing plants

and could hire up to 5,000 new workers during the first half of the year.

The announcement came after local meatpacker Independencia Alimentos Ltda,

Brazil’s fifth-largest beef company, filed for protection from creditors.

Independencia said that a sharp drop in beef demand from Russia and

insufficient access to credit left the company with no option but to file for

the equivalent of U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Brazil is the world’s leading beef exporter. There will be 60,000 cattle a week more on the market from this week, since the demise of Independencia, who are not the only meat company in trouble.