As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 27, 2024.

Registration No. 333-273211

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

Amendment No. 2 to

Form F-4

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

JBS B.V.*

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

 

 

The Netherlands		2011		Not Applicable
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)		(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

Stroombaan 16, 5th Floor,

1181 VX, Amstelveen, Netherlands

+31 20 656 47 00

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

JBS USA Food Company

1770 Promontory Circle

Greeley, Colorado 80634

+1 (970) 506-8000

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

Donald E. Baker, Esq.

John R. Vetterli, Esq.

Karen Katri, Esq.

White & Case LLP

1221 Avenue of the Americas

New York, New York 10020

+1 (212) 819-8200

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable on or after effectiveness of this registration statement.

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If applicable, place an X in the box to designate the appropriate rule provision relied upon in conducting this transaction:

Exchange Act Rule 13e-4(i) (Cross-Border Issuer Tender Offer) ☐

Exchange Act Rule 14d-1(d) (Cross-Border Third-Party Tender Offer) ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

 

†	The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

 

 

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

*

The Registrant intends to convert its legal form under Dutch law from a private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) to a public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) and to change its name to “JBS N.V.” prior to the closing of the proposed transaction.

 

 

 

EXPLANATORY NOTE

JBS B.V., a private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) under Dutch law, is filing this registration statement on Form F-4 (this “Registration Statement”) to register the offering of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (initially in the form of JBS N.V. BDRs), which is the result of the Redemption (as defined below) immediately following the Merger of Shares (as defined below) that are part of a proposed corporate restructuring (the “Corporate Restructuring”) of JBS S.A., a corporation (sociedade anônima) incorporated under the laws of Brazil (“JBS S.A.”), and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “JBS Group”) and the conversion of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period (as defined below) (the “Conversion”). Upon the completion of the Corporate Restructuring, JBS N.V. (as JBS B.V. is expected to be known upon its renaming and conversion into a public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) under Dutch law, or “JBS N.V.”, which definition is meant to include JBS B.V. prior to the conversion of the company into a Dutch public limited liability company) will be the ultimate holding company of the JBS Group. Following the completion of the Corporate Restructuring, holders of common shares of JBS S.A. (“JBS S.A. Common Shares”) on the last day the JBS S.A. Common Shares will trade on the B3 (as defined below) (the “Last Trading Day”) and holders of American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”), each representing two JBS S.A. Common Shares (“JBS S.A. ADSs”), who surrender their JBS S.A. ADSs after the closing of the Redemption will become shareholders of JBS N.V., and JBS S.A. will be an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of JBS N.V.

Upon completion of the Corporate Restructuring, the issued capital of JBS N.V. will consist of two classes of common shares: (1) Class A common shares, par value €0.01 per share (“JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares”); and (2) Class B common shares, par value of €0.10 per share (“JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares” and, together with the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, the “JBS N.V. Common Shares”). JBS N.V. intends to apply to have the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange. JBS N.V. also intends to sponsor a Brazilian Depositary Receipt (“BDR”) program to permit JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares represented by BDRs (“JBS N.V. BDRs”) to be listed for trading on the São Paulo Stock Exchange (B3 S.A. – Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão) (“B3”). We will not seek a listing for the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares. The JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares will have the same economic and voting rights, except that JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares will be entitled to 10 votes per share and JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares will be entitled to one vote per share at a general meeting of shareholders of JBS N.V.

The steps of the Corporate Restructuring are as follows:

Step 1: As the first step in the Corporate Restructuring (the “Controlling Shareholder Contributions”), JBS N.V. will, through a series of transactions, become the indirect controlling shareholder of JBS S.A. J&F Investimentos S.A., a corporation (sociedade por ações) incorporated under the laws of Brazil (“J&F”), and Fundo de Investimento em Participações em Cadeias Produtivas Agroindustriais – FIP FIAGRO Formosa – Investimento no Exterior (formerly Fundo de Investimento em Participações Multiestratégia Formosa), a Brazilian investment fund (“FIP Formosa”) indirectly wholly owned by J&F, have entered into a binding and unconditional agreement with JBS N.V., JBS Participações Societárias S.A., a Brazilian corporation (sociedade por ações) (“JBS Participações” or Brazil HoldCo”) and J&F Investments Luxembourg S.à r.l., a private limited liability company (société à responsabilité limitée) incorporated and existing under the laws of Luxembourg (“LuxCo”), pursuant to which the parties agreed that the Controlling Shareholder Contributions will occur in two phases: (A) in the first phase: (1) J&F will contribute and transfer a portion of its JBS S.A. Common Shares (or 369,918,510 JBS S.A. Common Shares), and FIP Formosa will contribute and transfer all of its JBS S.A. Common Shares (or 180,010,329 JBS S.A. Common Shares) to Brazil HoldCo in exchange for newly-issued shares of Brazil HoldCo; (2) immediately thereafter, J&F and FIP Formosa will contribute and transfer all such shares of Brazil HoldCo to LuxCo; and (3) immediately thereafter, LuxCo will contribute and transfer all such shares of Brazil HoldCo to JBS N.V.; and (B) in the second phase, after approval at the JBS S.A. General Meeting (as defined below) of the Merger of Shares and approval at the Brazil HoldCo General Meeting (as defined below) of the Redemption (1) J&F will contribute and transfer all of its remaining JBS S.A. Common Shares to LuxCo; (2) immediately thereafter, LuxCo will contribute and transfer all such JBS S.A. Common Shares to JBS N.V.; and (3) immediately

thereafter, JBS N.V. will contribute and transfer all such JBS S.A. Common Shares to Brazil Following the completion of the Controlling Shareholder Contributions and immediately prior to the second step described below, we expect that LuxCo will hold 241,969,477 JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and 295,740,472 JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares. The first phase of the Controlling Shareholder Contributions occurred December 22, 2023, as a result of which, as of the date of this prospectus, J&F and Brazil HoldCo are the direct controlling shareholders of JBS S.A. (JBS S.A.’s “direct controlling shareholders”). J&F indirectly owns 100% of the total capital stock of Brazil HoldCo, and Messrs. Joesley Mendonça Batista and Wesley Mendonça Batista (our “ultimate controlling shareholders”) indirectly own 100% of the capital stock of J&F and share voting and investment powers and the right to receive the economic benefit of the shares held by J&F. The parties have agreed that the second phase of the Controlling Shareholder Contributions shall be completed only after approval at the JBS S.A. General Meeting (as defined below) of the Merger of Shares and approval at the Brazil HoldCo General Meeting (as defined below) of the Redemption. Once the second phase of the Controlling Shareholder Contributions is completed, JBS N.V. will, through Brazil HoldCo, indirectly hold the JBS S.A. Common Shares that are currently held directly by J&F. Accordingly, JBS N.V. will become the indirect controlling shareholder of JBS S.A. This step has been and will be subject to the same exchange ratio of one JBS N.V. Common Share for every two JBS S.A. Common Shares that will be applied to JBS S.A.’s non-controlling shareholders pursuant to the Merger of Shares and Redemption (defined below), which will result in each holder of JBS S.A. Common Shares (“JBS S.A. Shareholder”) issued and outstanding on the Last Trading Day and each holder of JBS S.A. ADSs (“JBS S.A. ADS Holder”) who surrenders their JBS S.A. ADSs after the closing of the Redemption receiving the same economic interest in the total capital of JBS N.V. as such JBS S.A. Shareholder or JBS S.A. ADS Holder had in JBS S.A., except for the effect of the sale of any fractional JBS N.V. BDRs and the issuance or transfer of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to certain members of senior management as a performance bonus for the successful completion of the Proposed Transaction, as further described in this prospectus. However, since the capital structure of JBS N.V. will differ from that of JBS S.A. as a result of the dual-class structure of JBS N.V., the voting power of our ultimate controlling shareholders (held indirectly, through LuxCo) may increase substantially in relation to our non-controlling shareholders as a result of the aforementioned steps, depending on the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period (as defined below).

Step 2: As the second and final step in the Corporate Restructuring, subject to the corporate approvals described below, JBS S.A. Shareholders on the Last Trading Day and JBS S.A. ADS Holders who surrender their JBS S.A. ADSs after the closing of the Redemption will receive JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (and in the case of JBS S.A. Shareholders, initially in the form of BDRs) and a cash dividend on the terms defined below (the “Proposed Transaction”):

 

•

Merger of Shares. Subject to approval at a general meeting of shareholders of JBS S.A. (the “JBS S.A. General Meeting”), a merger of shares (incorporação de ações) under Brazilian law (the “Merger of Shares”) will be implemented pursuant to which every two JBS S.A. Common Shares issued and outstanding on the Last Trading Day that are not held by Brazil HoldCo (including by The Bank of New York Mellon, as depositary with respect to the JBS S.A. ADSs (the “JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank”)) will be automatically contributed for their book value into Brazil HoldCo in exchange for one newly issued mandatorily redeemable preferred share of Brazil HoldCo (“Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares”), as a result of which JBS S.A. will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brazil HoldCo. The Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares will be mandatorily redeemable for JBS N.V. BDRs.

 

•

Redemption. Subject to approval by JBS N.V. at a general meeting of the sole shareholder of Brazil HoldCo (the “Brazil HoldCo General Meeting”) and immediately after the implementation of the Merger of Shares, Brazil HoldCo will redeem all of the Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares and deliver to each holder thereof (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) one JBS N.V. BDR for every one Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Share held (the “Redemption”). The JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will cause the JBS N.V. BDRs that it receives pursuant to the Redemption to be immediately cancelled for delivery of the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, which it will deliver to JBS S.A. ADS Holders upon surrender by those holders of their JBS S.A. ADSs and payment by the JBS S.A. ADS Holders of certain fees to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank. If any other holder of JBS N.V. BDRs wishes to receive the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, that holder must take action to cancel their JBS N.V. BDRs.

•

Cash Dividend. Subject to approval at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, all JBS S.A. Shareholders as of the date of the JBS S.A. General Meeting (including JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders) and all JBS S.A. ADS Holders as of a record date set by the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank (which may be the date of the JBS SA General Meeting or a later date) will be entitled to receive a cash dividend.

For a period starting on the first trading day of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the NYSE and ending on December 31, 2026 (the “Class A Conversion Period”), each person entitled to one or more JBS N.V. BDRs at the opening of trading on the first trading day of the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 (the “Conversion Record Date”), who is entitled to such JBS N.V. BDRs in connection with the Proposed Transaction, and each JBS S.A. ADS Holder who is entitled to receive the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in connection with the Proposed Transaction (each, an “Eligible Shareholder”), may request, after receiving the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (having, if needed, first cancelled its relevant JBS N.V. BDRs), to convert all or a portion of such JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares at a ratio of one JBS N.V. Class B Common Share for each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share held. The maximum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares which an Eligible Shareholder may request to convert into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares equals, in the case of a former JBS S.A. Shareholder, the number of JBS N.V. BDRs to which such Eligible Shareholder is entitled at the opening of trading of the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 on the Conversion Record Date (not including any fractional JBS N.V. BDRs received as part of the Proposed Transaction) and, in the case of a former JBS S.A. ADS Holder, the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that such Eligible Shareholder is entitled to receive from the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank in connection with the Proposed Transaction (the “Maximum Convertible Shares”). Except with respect to conversion requests submitted during the Last Conversion Quarter (as defined below), the maximum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by an Eligible Shareholder that may be converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares will be limited to 55% of such Eligible Shareholder’s Maximum Convertible Shares (the “Maximum Conversion Rate”). During the Class A Conversion Period, our board of directors will resolve on any conversion requests within 15 business days after the end of each fiscal quarter for any such requests received from Eligible Shareholders during such quarter, provided such requests are deemed satisfactory to the board of directors. With respect to the last quarter prior to the close of the Class A Conversion Period (i.e., the fourth quarter of 2026) (the “Last Conversion Quarter”), the Maximum Conversion Rate will not apply, but if the aggregate number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in respect of which our board of directors has received one or more conversion requests during the entire Class A Conversion Period which it deems satisfactory would, if all JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which such conversion request(s) pertain(s) would be converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, cause the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by non-controlling shareholders (being at the time of the Proposed Transaction all shareholders of JBS N.V. except LuxCo) divided by the total number of JBS N.V. Common Shares outstanding multiplied by 100% (the “JBS N.V. Free Float Percentage”) on December 31, 2026 to fall below 20% (the “Minimum Free Float”), the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which each such conversion request received during the Last Conversion Quarter pertains shall be reduced on a pro rata basis so that the aggregate number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares does not result in the JBS N.V. Free Float Percentage on December 31, 2026 to fall below the Minimum Free Float. The Maximum Conversion Rate and the Minimum Free Float are intended to maintain a minimum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares outstanding in order to improve the liquidity of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that will trade on the NYSE.

In addition, during the Class A Conversion Period, our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) may request to convert all or a portion of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by LuxCo at 10 a.m. São Paulo time on the Conversion Record Date into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares at the same ratio of one JBS N.V. Class B Common Share for each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share held. The maximum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares which LuxCo may request to convert into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares equals the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by LuxCo at 10 a.m. São Paulo time on the Conversion Record Date. For the avoidance of doubt, the Maximum Conversion Rate and the Minimum Free Float will not be applicable to conversion requests made by LuxCo, which will be entitled at any time during the Class A Conversion Period to request to convert all or a portion of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by it on the Conversion Record Date into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, since the JBS N.V. Class A

Common Shares held by LuxCo will be subject to transfer restrictions and may be excluded from the calculation of “publicly-held shares” under the NYSE’s listing requirements for so long as LuxCo is considered an “affiliate” of JBS N.V., as that term is generally interpreted for U.S. federal securities law purposes. Any and all JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares not converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares by the Eligible Shareholders and/or LuxCo during the Class A Conversion Period will be retained as such by such Eligible Shareholder and/or LuxCo, as the case may be. Following the end of each fiscal quarter, JBS N.V. will disclose to the market the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that were converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares pursuant to the procedures described above. Following the Class A Conversion Period, JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares will no longer be convertible into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares. However, JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares may at any time be converted into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares.

This Registration Statement includes a prospectus for the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and JBS N.V. BDRs that will be issued to JBS S.A. Shareholder and JBS S.A. ADS Holders, as the case may be, as part of the consideration upon completion of the Proposed Transaction and the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares into which JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may be converted as part of the Conversion and held by Eligible Shareholders.

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED     , 2024

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

TRANSACTION PROPOSED

 

JBS N.V.

571,348,236 Class A Common Shares (including Class A Common Shares in the form of Brazilian Depositary Receipts) and up to 571,348,236 Class B Common Shares

Dear JBS S.A. Shareholder and JBS S.A. ADS Holder:

This prospectus relates to: (1) 571,348,236 Class A common shares, par value €0.01 per share (“JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares”), of JBS N.V. (as JBS B.V. is expected to be known upon its renaming and conversion into a public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) under Dutch law, or “JBS N.V.”, which definition is meant to include JBS B.V. prior to the conversion of the company into a Dutch public limited liability company), including JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in the form of Brazilian Depositary Receipts (“BDRs”), each representing one JBS N.V. Class A Common Share (“JBS N.V. BDRs”), to be issued to holders of common shares of JBS S.A., a Brazilian corporation (sociedade anônima) (“JBS S.A.”) listed on the São Paulo Stock Exchange (B3 S.A.—Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão) (“B3”) (“JBS S.A. Common Shares”), and holders of American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) each representing two JBS S.A. Common Shares (“JBS S.A. ADSs”), pursuant to the terms of the Proposed Transaction (as defined below) and subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions described in this prospectus; and (2) up to 571,348,236 Class B common shares, par value €0.10 per share (“JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares” and, together with the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, the “JBS N.V. Common Shares”), of JBS N.V. into which JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may be converted during the Class A Conversion Period (as defined below), which will take place after the completion of the Proposed Transaction. References to the “JBS Group” are to: (i) JBS S.A. and its consolidated subsidiaries prior to the completion of the Proposed Transaction; and (ii) JBS N.V. and its consolidated subsidiaries (including JBS S.A.), following the completion of the Proposed Transaction, unless the context otherwise requires or otherwise indicated.

The Proposed Transaction is part of a corporate restructuring of the JBS Group with the purpose of listing the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3. Prior to the Closing Date (as defined in the section “Certain Defined Terms”), JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders (as defined in the section “Certain Defined Terms”) will transfer their interest in JBS S.A. to JBS N.V. Following the completion of the Proposed Transaction, JBS S.A. will be an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of JBS N.V., and the JBS S.A. Common Shares will no longer be publicly traded.

Pursuant to the Proposed Transaction, holders of JBS S.A. Common Shares (“JBS S.A. Shareholders”) and holders of JBS S.A. ADSs (“JBS S.A. ADS Holders”) will receive JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (and in the case of JBS S.A. Shareholders, initially in the form of BDRs) and a cash dividend on the terms defined below. The proposed transaction will consist of the three steps below (collectively, the “Proposed Transaction”):

 

•

Merger of Shares. Subject to approval at the general meeting of shareholders of JBS S.A. scheduled for      , 2024 (“JBS S.A. General Meeting”), on the Closing Date, the merger of shares will be implemented through an incorporação de ações under the Brazilian Corporation Law (as defined in the section “Certain Defined Terms”) (the “Merger of Shares”). Pursuant to the Merger of Shares, every two JBS S.A. Common Shares issued and outstanding on the last day the JBS S.A. Common Shares will trade on the B3 (the “Last Trading Day”) that are not held by JBS Participações Societárias S.A., a Brazilian corporation (sociedade por ações) (“Brazil HoldCo”) (including by The Bank of New York Mellon, as depositary with respect to the JBS S.A. ADSs (the “JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank”)) that will be wholly owned by JBS N.V. prior to the Closing Date, will be automatically contributed for their book value into Brazil HoldCo in exchange for one newly issued mandatorily redeemable preferred share of Brazil HoldCo (“Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares”), determined pursuant to the Exchange Ratio (as defined in the section “Certain Defined Terms”), and JBS S.A. will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brazil HoldCo. The Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares are mandatorily redeemable for JBS N.V. BDRs.

•

Redemption. Subject to approval by JBS N.V. at a general meeting of the sole shareholder of Brazil HoldCo scheduled for      , 2024 (the “Brazil HoldCo General Meeting”) and immediately after the implementation of the Merger of Shares, Brazil HoldCo will redeem all of the Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares and deliver to each holder thereof (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) one JBS N.V. BDR for every one Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Share held (the “Redemption”). The JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will cause the JBS N.V. BDRs that it receives pursuant to the Redemption to be immediately cancelled for delivery of the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, which it will deliver to JBS S.A. ADS Holders upon surrender by those holders of their JBS S.A. ADSs and payment by the JBS S.A. ADS Holders of certain fees to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank. If any other holder of JBS N.V. BDRs wishes to receive the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, that holder must take action to cancel their JBS N.V. BDRs at any time, and from time to time, beginning on or after about two business days after the Closing Date.

 

•

Cash Dividend. Subject to approval at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, all JBS S.A. Shareholders as of the date of the JBS S.A. General Meeting (including JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders) and all JBS S.A. ADS Holders as of a record date set by the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank (which may be the date of the JBS SA General Meeting or a later date) (the “ADS Cash Dividend Record Date”) will be entitled to receive a cash dividend estimated, at current market conditions, at R$1.00 per JBS S.A. Common Share held (the “Cash Dividend”). The aggregate amount of the Cash Dividend is R$2,218,116,370.00, based on 2,218,116,370 JBS S.A. Common Shares issued and outstanding. The cost of converting Brazilian reais into U.S. dollars, a fee of US$0.02 per JBS S.A. ADS payable to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank and any applicable taxes will be deducted from payments made to JBS S.A. ADS Holders. The Cash Dividend will be paid following the approval of the Proposed Transaction at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, at a date to be disclosed to the market in due course. Prior to the Closing Date, Brazil HoldCo expects to distribute its portion of the Cash Dividend to JBS N.V., for further distribution to LuxCo.

JBS S.A. Shareholders (and JBS S.A. ADS Holders, through the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) will have the opportunity to vote on the Proposed Transaction at the JBS S.A. General Meeting. The Merger of Shares and ancillary matters, such as the Merger of Shares Protocol (as defined in the section “Certain Defined Terms”) and related valuation reports, as described under the caption “JBS S.A. General Meeting—Agenda of the JBS S.A. General Meeting,” require the affirmative vote of at least the majority (50% plus 1 share) of the total outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares (including JBS S.A. Common Shares represented by JBS S.A. ADSs). The Cash Dividend requires the affirmative vote of at least the majority (50% plus 1 share) of the outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting (including JBS S.A. Common Shares represented by JBS S.A. ADSs). In addition, holders of at least the majority (50% plus 1 share) of the JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding (as defined in the section “Certain Defined Terms”) (including JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding represented by JBS S.A. ADSs) present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting must approve the delisting of the JBS S.A. Common Shares from the Novo Mercado listing segment of the B3 (the “Delisting”). For more information about the percentage of shareholders required to approve each matter being voted upon at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, see “JBS S.A. General Meeting—Required Vote.” Although, as described above, the minimum vote requirements to approve the different matters being voted on at the JBS S.A. General Meeting vary, all matters subject to vote at the JBS S.A. General Meeting are conditional upon each other, such that if one matter is not approved, the others will also be rejected. Since the Delisting must be approved by a majority of the JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting (including JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding represented by JBS S.A. ADSs), the approval of all matters at the JBS S.A. General Meeting will ultimately require approval of the majority of the JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding (including JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding represented by JBS S.A. ADSs) present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the Proposed Transaction, the JBS N.V. Common Shares and the JBS N.V. BDRs—The Proposed Transaction may be approved by a small percentage of our non-controlling shareholders.” JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders, who held 48.48% of the issued and outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares as of March 15, 2024, will be counted for quorum purposes to install the JBS S.A. General Meeting but will only vote in favor of the Merger of Shares (and ancillary matters) and the Cash Dividend if the Delisting is approved and only if their votes are necessary to reach the minimum required affirmative votes. Otherwise, JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders will abstain from voting on such matters.

The JBS S.A. General Meeting will not be called if the registration statement on Form F-4 of which this prospectus is a part is not declared effective. In order to approve the Merger of Shares, holders of at least the majority of the outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares (including JBS S.A. Common Shares represented by JBS S.A. ADSs), voting together, must vote in favor of the Proposed Transaction. The completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions, as further described below.

The Exchange Ratio is defined in the section “Certain Defined Terms.” The Exchange Ratio has been established so that each JBS S.A. Shareholder (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank, but excluding Brazil HoldCo) receives, upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, one JBS N.V. BDR for every two JBS S.A. Common Shares that it holds on the Last Trading Day. Consequently, each JBS S.A. ADS Holder will receive, upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, one JBS N.V. Class A Common Share for each JBS S.A. ADS that it holds (each JBS S.A. ADS representing two JBS S.A. Common Shares). Prior to the completion of the Proposed Transaction, our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) will have received one JBS N.V. Class A Common Share or one JBS N.V. Class B Common Share for every two JBS S.A. Common Shares held. This will result in each JBS S.A. Shareholder on the Last Trading Day and each JBS S.A. ADS Holder who surrenders their JBS S.A. ADSs after the Closing Date receiving the same economic interest in the total capital of JBS N.V. as such JBS S.A. Shareholder or JBS S.A. ADS Holder had in JBS S.A., except for the effect of the sale of any fractional JBS N.V. BDRs, as described below, and the issuance or transfer of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to certain members of senior management as a performance bonus for the successful completion of the Proposed Transaction, as further described under “Management—Compensation of Executive Officers and Directors.”

Following the Closing Date, any fractional JBS N.V. BDRs attributed to JBS S.A. Shareholders resulting from the Merger of Shares and the Redemption will be grouped into whole numbers and sold on the open market managed by B3, as applicable. The net proceeds from the sale of the fractional JBS N.V. BDRs will be distributed on a pro rata basis to the former JBS S.A. Shareholders who contributed their JBS S.A. Common Shares to Brazil HoldCo in the Merger of Shares and would have been entitled to receive fractional JBS N.V. BDRs by virtue of contributing an odd number of JBS S.A. Common Shares. Excluding the Cash Dividend, no additional consideration in cash or in kind will be paid to JBS S.A. Shareholders or JBS S.A. ADSs in connection with the Proposed Transaction. Considering that each JBS S.A. ADS represents two JBS S.A. Common Shares, which is the same Exchange Ratio used in the Proposed Transaction, no fractional JBS N.V. BDRs will be attributed to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank on behalf of the JBS S.A. ADS Holders.

In connection with the Proposed Transaction, Brazil HoldCo may be required to withhold and collect Brazilian taxes imposed on capital gains assessed, if any, due by certain non-Brazilian JBS S.A. Shareholders that hold their investment under the special tax regime of CMN Resolution No. 4,373/2014 (“4,373 Holders”), including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank (which is also subject to CMN Resolution No. 4,373/2014 and will receive JBS N.V. BDRs upon the settlement of the Proposed Transaction on B3). In order to determine whether any withholding will be required, 4,373 Holders must report, through their Brazilian custodian or broker dealer, certain information relating to their historical cost and tax domiciliation. Such information must be provided after the JBS S.A. General Meeting, in accordance with the procedures that will be publicly announced prior to the date of the JBS S.A. General Meeting. If Brazil HoldCo determines based on the available information that withholding will be required, or if any 4,373 Holder fails to provide such information, Brazil HoldCo has the right, at its sole discretion, to: (1) deduct any amount required to be withheld by Brazil HoldCo from the Cash Dividend payable by JBS S.A. to such 4,373 Holder; and (2) retain JBS N.V. BDRs which such 4,373 Holder is entitled to receive, in an amount sufficient to generate cash payment sufficient to cover any required tax withholding, and Brazil HoldCo will retain such amount upon sale of such BDRs. See “Material Tax Considerations—Material Brazilian Tax Considerations.”

At any time, and from time to time, on or about two business days after the Closing Date, a holder of JBS N.V. BDRs that wants to receive JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may request the cancellation of all or a portion of its JBS N.V. BDRs by: (1) instructing its broker or custodian operating in Brazil to cancel its JBS N.V. BDRs with Banco Bradesco S.A., in its capacity as depositary for the JBS N.V. BDRs (the “JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank”); and (2) delivering evidence that all fees and potential taxes due in connection with this service were duly paid, as set forth in the JBS N.V. BDR Deposit Agreement (as defined in the section “Certain Defined Terms”). The cancellation instruction to the broker or custodian must include an appropriate brokerage account outside of Brazil to receive the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares. The JBS S.A. ADS

Depositary Bank will cause the JBS N.V. BDRs that it receives pursuant to the Redemption to be immediately cancelled for delivery of the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, which it will deliver to JBS S.A. ADS Holders upon surrender by those holders of their JBS S.A. ADSs and payment by the JBS S.A. ADS Holders of certain fees to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank. See “The Proposed Transaction—Receiving JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares.”

For a period starting on the first trading day of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the NYSE and ending on December 31, 2026 (the “Class A Conversion Period”), each person entitled to one or more JBS N.V. BDRs at the opening of trading on the first trading day of the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 (the “Conversion Record Date”), who is entitled to such JBS N.V. BDRs in connection with the Proposed Transaction, and each JBS S.A. ADS Holder who is entitled to receive the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in connection with the Proposed Transaction (each, an “Eligible Shareholder”), may request, after receiving the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (having, if needed, first cancelled its relevant JBS N.V. BDRs), to convert all or a portion of such JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares at a ratio of one JBS N.V. Class B Common Share for each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share held. The maximum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares which an Eligible Shareholder may request to convert into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares equals, in the case of a former JBS S.A. Shareholder, the number of JBS N.V. BDRs to which such Eligible Shareholder is entitled at the opening of trading of the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 on the Conversion Record Date (not including any fractional JBS N.V. BDRs received as part of the Proposed Transaction) and, in the case of a former JBS S.A. ADS Holder, the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that such Eligible Shareholder is entitled to receive from the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank in connection with the Proposed Transaction (the “Maximum Convertible Shares”). Except with respect to conversion requests submitted during the Last Conversion Quarter (as defined below), the maximum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by an Eligible Shareholder that may be converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares will be limited to 55% of such Eligible Shareholder’s Maximum Convertible Shares (the “Maximum Conversion Rate”). During the Class A Conversion Period, our board of directors will resolve on any conversion requests within 15 business days after the end of each fiscal quarter for any such requests received from Eligible Shareholders during such quarter, provided such requests are deemed satisfactory to the board of directors. With respect to the last quarter prior to the close of the Class A Conversion Period (i.e., the fourth quarter of 2026) (the “Last Conversion Quarter”), the Maximum Conversion Rate will not apply, but if the aggregate number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in respect of which our board of directors has received one or more conversion requests during the entire Class A Conversion Period which it deems satisfactory would, if all JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which such conversion request(s) pertain(s) would be converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, cause the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by non-controlling shareholders (being at the time of the Proposed Transaction all shareholders of JBS N.V. except LuxCo) divided by the total number of JBS N.V. Common Shares outstanding multiplied by 100% (the “JBS N.V. Free Float Percentage”) on December 31, 2026 to fall below 20% (the “Minimum Free Float”), the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which each such conversion request received during the Last Conversion Quarter pertains shall be reduced on a pro rata basis so that the aggregate number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares does not result in the JBS N.V. Free Float Percentage on December 31, 2026 to fall below the Minimum Free Float. The Maximum Conversion Rate and the Minimum Free Float are intended to maintain a minimum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares outstanding in order to improve the liquidity of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that will trade on the NYSE.

In addition, during the Class A Conversion Period, our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) may request to convert all or a portion of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by LuxCo at 10 a.m. São Paulo time on the Conversion Record Date into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares at the same ratio of one JBS N.V. Class B Common Share for each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share held. The maximum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares which LuxCo may request to convert into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares equals the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by LuxCo at 10 a.m. São Paulo time on the Conversion Record Date. For the avoidance of doubt, the Maximum Conversion Rate and the Minimum Free Float will not be applicable to conversion requests made by LuxCo, which will be entitled at any time during the Class A Conversion Period to request to convert all or a portion of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by it on the Conversion Record Date into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, since the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by LuxCo will be subject to transfer restrictions and may be excluded from the calculation of “publicly-held shares” under the NYSE’s listing requirements for so long as LuxCo is considered an “affiliate”

of JBS N.V., as that term is generally interpreted for U.S. federal securities law purposes. Any and all JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares not converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares by the Eligible Shareholders and/or LuxCo during the Class A Conversion Period will be retained as such by such Eligible Shareholder and/or LuxCo, as the case may be. Following the end of each fiscal quarter, JBS N.V. will disclose to the market the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that were converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares pursuant to the procedures described above. Following the Class A Conversion Period, JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares will no longer be convertible into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares. However, JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares may at any time be converted into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction—Class A Conversion Period.”

Upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, JBS N.V.’s issued share capital will consist of the: (1) JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and (2) JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares. Each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share confers the right to one vote at a general meeting of shareholders. Each JBS N.V. Class B Common Share confers the right to 10 votes at a general meeting of shareholders. Currently, there is no public market for the JBS N.V. Common Shares. We intend to apply to list the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the NYSE under the symbol “JBS”. We also intend to apply to list the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 under the symbol “JBSS32”. We will not seek a listing for the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares on the NYSE or on any other exchange. Trades in JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares are expected to settle through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), and trades in JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 will settle through the facilities of the Central Depositary of the B3.

The opening price of the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 will be equivalent to the closing price of the JBS S.A. Common Shares on the Last Trading Day, as adjusted by the Exchange Ratio. We expect that the opening price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the NYSE will be determined by buy and sell orders collected by the NYSE from broker-dealers. Based on such orders, the designated market maker will determine an opening price for the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares. However, prior to the opening trade, there will not be a price at which underwriters initially sell the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to the public as there would be in a traditional underwritten initial public offering. The absence of a predetermined initial public offering price could impact the range of buy and sell orders collected by the NYSE from various broker-dealers. Consequently, upon listing on the NYSE, the public trading price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may be more volatile than in a traditional underwritten initial public offering and could decline significantly and rapidly. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the Proposed Transaction, the JBS N.V. Common Shares and the JBS N.V. BDRs—There is no existing market for JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs, and we do not know whether one will develop to provide you with adequate liquidity. If the trading price of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs fluctuates after completion of the Proposed Transaction, you could lose a significant part of your investment.”

To permit delivery of JBS N.V. BDRs upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, JBS N.V. will apply for its registration as a foreign issuer in Brazil and for the registration of its BDR Program with the Brazilian Securities Commission (Comissão de Valores Mobiliários (“CVM”). After the Closing Date, a holder of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares will be able to deposit its JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares with the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank and receive JBS N.V. BDRs, and a holder of JBS N.V. BDRs will be able to cancel its JBS N.V. BDRs and receive underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (see “Description of BDRs and Deposit Agreement”). Additionally, in connection with the listing of JBS N.V. BDRs, JBS N.V. expects to apply to have its BDRs classified as Level II BDRs pursuant to Brazilian regulation, in which case JBS N.V. will be required to obtain a registration as a foreign issuer in Brazil before the CVM and, consequently, comply with certain disclosure requirements set forth in the Brazilian regulation, including annually filing a formulário de referência (a document which contains financial, legal and operating information about the filer), providing quarterly financial information and certain periodical filings disclosing material events.

Upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, the JBS S.A. Common Shares will no longer be listed on B3 or any other exchange. JBS S.A. will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Brazil HoldCo.

Immediately upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, our ultimate controlling shareholders will own (indirectly, through LuxCo) 100% of the issued and outstanding JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares and 29.75% of the issued and outstanding JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, which will in the aggregate represent a majority of the voting power in the general meeting of shareholders of JBS N.V., and will

effectively control all matters requiring shareholder approval. Assuming the ownership structure of JBS S.A. on the Last Trading Day is the same as on March 15, 2024, our ultimate controlling shareholders will (indirectly, through LuxCo) hold 48.48% of the then-outstanding JBS N.V. Common Shares and 84.85% of the aggregate voting power in JBS N.V, which will represent an increase in their aggregate voting power from the 48.48% voting power in JBS S.A. they held as of March 15, 2024. Following the completion of the Proposed Transaction, and except for any future issuances of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, this voting power will be reduced only if and to the extent that holders of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares successfully request conversions of their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period and do not reconvert into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares thereafter. Moreover, this voting power will be increased to 90.40% to the extent that our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) successfully request conversions of all their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period, Eligible Shareholders do not request such conversion and our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) do not reconvert into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares thereafter and no new shares of JBS N.V. are issued. Following the Class A Conversion Period (and assuming no new shares of JBS N.V. are issued during this period), our ultimate controlling shareholders will (indirectly, through LuxCo) hold between 46.26% and 90.40% of the aggregate voting power in JBS N.V. The exact percentage of the then-outstanding JBS N.V. Shares and aggregate voting power in JBS N.V. that will be (indirectly) held by our ultimate controlling shareholders upon completion of the Proposed Transaction and the Conversion will depend on the percentage of JBS S.A. Common Shares that they hold on the Last Trading Day, the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that are converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period and reconverted into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, and any additional issuances of JBS N.V. Common Shares after the Proposed Transaction.

We will be considered a “foreign private issuer” under U.S. securities laws and the NYSE rules, and we intend to rely on corporate governance exemptions available to foreign private issuers under NYSE rules. See “Management—Corporate Governance Practices” for more information. We may also be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of the NYSE. Under NYSE rules, a “controlled company” (which is a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company) may elect not to comply with certain NYSE corporate governance standards. See “Management—Corporate Governance Practices” for more information. If we were to lose our foreign private issuer status but remain a controlled company, we may elect in the future to avail ourselves of the “controlled company” exemptions under NYSE corporate governance rules. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the Proposed Transaction, the JBS N.V. Common Shares and the JBS N.V. BDRs—As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to follow certain home country corporate governance practices instead of otherwise applicable NYSE requirements.”

None of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the CVM, nor any securities commission of any jurisdiction has approved or disapproved any of the transactions described in this prospectus or the securities to be issued under this document or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this document. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to buy or sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, any securities, or a solicitation of a proxy, in any jurisdiction to or from any person to whom it is unlawful to make any such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. For the avoidance of doubt, this prospectus does not constitute an offer to buy or sell securities or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities in the Federative Republic of Brazil or a solicitation of a proxy under the laws the Federative Republic of Brazil, and it is not intended to be, and is not, a prospectus or an offer document within the meaning of Brazilian law and the rules of the CVM. You should inform yourself about and observe any such restrictions, and none of JBS N.V., JBS S.A. or their respective subsidiaries accepts any liability in relation to any such restrictions.

This prospectus does not constitute an offer of securities to the public in the European Union within the meaning of Article 3(1) of the Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017, as amended, (the “Prospectus Regulation”) and is not a prospectus or an offer document within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation.

WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR A PROXY. The accompanying disclosure documents contain detailed information about the Proposed Transaction and the JBS S.A. General Meeting. This document is a prospectus

for JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and JBS N.V. BDRs that will be issued to JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders as part of the consideration upon completion of the Proposed Transaction and the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares into which JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may be converted as part of the Conversion and held by Eligible Shareholders. You should read this prospectus carefully. In particular, please read the section “Risk Factors” beginning on page [21] for a discussion of risks that you should consider in evaluating the Proposed Transaction described in this prospectus.

The date of this prospectus is     , 2024.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

		PAGE
EXPLANATORY NOTE			i
IMPORTANT DATES			iii
CERTAIN DEFINED TERMS			v
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS			xii
PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL AND OTHER INFORMATION			xiv
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION, THE JBS S.A. GENERAL MEETING AND JBS N.V.			xviii
SUMMARY			1
RISK FACTORS			21
CAPITALIZATION			59
PER SHARE, DIVIDEND AND MARKET PRICE DATA			61
JBS S.A. GENERAL MEETING			64
THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION			67
INFORMATION ABOUT JBS N.V.			89
INFORMATION ABOUT JBS S.A.			91
THE GLOBAL PROTEIN INDUSTRY			136
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS			140
DESCRIPTION OF MATERIAL INDEBTEDNESS			172
MANAGEMENT			180
PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS			188
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS			200
DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL			204
COMPARISON OF THE RIGHTS OF HOLDERS OF JBS N.V. SHARES AND JBS S.A. COMMON SHARES			232
DESCRIPTION OF JBS N.V. BDRS AND DEPOSIT AGREEMENT			251
SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE			257
TAXATION			260
EXPENSES OF THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION			282
DETERMINATION OF OFFERING PRICE			282
LEGAL MATTERS			283
EXPERTS			284
ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES			286
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION			289
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS			F-1

 

 

This document, which is part of a registration statement on Form F-4 filed with the SEC by JBS N.V., constitutes a prospectus of JBS N.V. under Section 5 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), with respect to JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and JBS N.V. BDRs to be issued to JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADSs, pursuant to the transactions described herein.

No person has been authorized to provide you with information that is different from what is contained in this prospectus, and, if given or made by any person, such information must not be relied upon as having been authorized. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date set forth on the cover or such other previous reference date expressly mentioned in this prospectus. Changes to the information contained in this prospectus may occur after that date, and we undertake no obligation to update the information, except as required by law.

 

i

Any reference to a website address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained at or available through such website, and you should not consider it to be a part of this prospectus.

This prospectus is not an offer to sell and it is not a solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction in which the offer or sale thereof is not permitted. Countries outside the United States generally have their own legal requirements that govern securities offerings made to persons resident in those countries and often impose stringent requirements about the form and content of offers made to the general public.

Non-U.S. shareholders should consult their advisors in considering whether there are any restrictions or limitations on transactions in the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or the JBS N.V. BDRs that may apply in their home countries. Neither JBS N.V. nor JBS S.A. can provide any assurance about whether such limitations may exist.

 

ii

IMPORTANT DATES

JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders should take note of the following expected important dates in connection with the Proposed Transaction:

 

Date / Period		Event
December 22, 2023		Corporate Restructuring – First Step, Part A: Contributions of a portion of the JBS S.A. Common Shares held by J&F and all of the JBS S.A. Common Shares held by FIP Formosa to Brazil HoldCo and of the corresponding shares issued to J&F and FIP Formosa by Brazil HoldCo to LuxCo for further transfer to JBS N.V.
, 2024		Approval by the board of directors of JBS S.A. to convene the JBS S.A. General Meeting
On or about     , 2024		Formal notice convening the JBS S.A. General Meeting, published in the official gazette and a major newspaper, as required under Brazilian law
On or about     , 2024		ADS Voting Record Date(1)
On or about     , 2024		JBS S.A. General Meeting(1) Brazil HoldCo General Meeting ADS Cash Dividend Record Date(1)
On or about     , 2024		Corporate Restructuring – First Step, Part B: Contribution of remaining JBS S.A. Common Shares held by J&F to LuxCo, for further transfer to JBS N.V. and Brazil HoldCo
On or about     , 2024		Conversion of JBS B.V. into JBS N.V.
On or about     , 2024		Suspension of Issuance and Cancellations of JBS S.A. ADSs(2)
On or about     , 2024		Last Trading Day (JBS S.A. Common Shares)
On or about     , 2024		Corporate Restructuring – Second Step: Closing Date (Merger of Shares and Redemption)
On or about     , 2024		First day of trading of JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3
On or about     , 2024		First day holders of JBS N.V. BDRs can request cancellation of JBS N.V. BDRs
On or about     , 2024		ADS Exchange Date(3)
On or about     , 2024		First day of trading of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the NYSE
On or about     , 2024		Beginning of Class A Conversion Period
On or about     , 2024		ADS Program Termination(4)
December 31, 2026		End of Class A Conversion Period

 

(1)	The JBS S.A. General Meeting scheduled for     , 2024 will not be called if the registration statement on Form F-4 of which this prospectus is a part is not declared effective.

There is no record date for purposes of determining direct JBS S.A. Shareholders entitled to attend the JBS S.A. General Meeting or to vote. JBS S.A. Shareholders on the date of the JBS S.A. General Meeting are entitled to attend the JBS S.A. General Meeting and vote on the items set forth on the agenda, as long as they have timely provided the appropriate documentation required by JBS S.A. at the time of the call notice to the JBS S.A. General Meeting, which required documentation will be set out in the notice of the JBS S.A. General Meeting and/or in the documents relating thereto.

The record date on which JBS S.A. ADS Holders must hold JBS S.A. ADSs in order to give instructions to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank for the exercise of voting rights at the JBS S.A. General Meeting is     , 2024 (the “ADS Voting Record Date”). Anyone becoming a JBS S.A. ADS Holder subsequent to the ADS Voting Record Date, which will be prior to the JBS S.A. General Meeting, will not be entitled to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at the JBS S.A. General Meeting.

 

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Subject to approval at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, all JBS S.A. Shareholders as of the date of the JBS S.A. General Meeting (including JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders) and all JBS S.A. ADS Holders as of a record date set by the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank (which may be the date of the JBS SA General Meeting or a later date) will be entitled to receive the Cash Dividend (the “ADS Cash Dividend Record Date”). The Cash Dividend will be paid following the approval of the Proposed Transaction at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, at a date to be disclosed to the market in due course.

 

(2)

The JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will suspend the issuance and cancellation of JBS S.A. ADSs beginning on or about     , 2024. This means that beginning on this date, you will not be able to surrender your JBS S.A. ADSs for delivery of JBS S.A. Common Shares or deposit your JBS S.A. Common Shares for delivery of JBS S.A. ADSs. However, the closing of the issuance and cancellation books does not impact trading, and you may continue to trade your JBS S.A. ADSs.

 

(3)

On or about the date on which the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank receives the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares pursuant to the cancellation of the JBS N.V. BDRs it receives in connection with the Redemption, the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will initiate the exchange of existing JBS S.A. ADSs for JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (such date, the “ADS Exchange Date”). We expect that the ADS Exchange Date will be approximately two U.S. business days after the Closing Date.

If you hold JBS S.A. ADSs in a securities account through a broker or other securities intermediary that is a participant in DTC (a “DTC Participant”), you will not be required to take any action to surrender your JBS S.A. ADSs. Once the exchange is initiated by the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank on the ADS Exchange Date, DTC will surrender the JBS S.A. ADSs held by all its DTC Participants in one lot for exchange. The DTC Participant through which you hold your JBS S.A. ADSs will then allocate the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which you are entitled to your broker or other securities intermediary’s account, and your broker or other securities intermediary will credit such JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to your account and charge your account an ADS cancellation fee of US$0.05 per JBS S.A. ADS, in accordance with the JBS S.A. ADS Deposit Agreement, as well as the U.S. dollar-equivalent of the fee of R$0.10 per JBS N.V. BDR (at an exchange rate to be determined by the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank), which the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank paid to the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank in connection with the cancellation of the JBS N.V. BDRs that the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank received pursuant to the Redemption. JBS S.A. ADSs will remain outstanding until surrendered for exchange. Any unsettled trades of JBS S.A. ADSs at the time DTC surrenders the JBS S.A. ADSs held by DTC Participants will be settled in JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares. If you are a registered holder of JBS S.A. ADSs, please see “The Proposed Transaction—JBS S.A. ADS Holders—Receiving JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares” for more information.

 

(4)	The JBS S.A. ADS Program will terminate automatically once all JBS S.A. ADSs are surrendered for exchange. The majority of the JBS S.A. ADSs, which are held through DTC participants, will be surrendered automatically after the ADS Exchange Date.

 

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CERTAIN DEFINED TERMS

Except where the context otherwise requires, in this prospectus:

 

•

“JBS N.V.” or the “issuer” refers to JBS N.V., as JBS B.V. is expected to be known upon its renaming and conversion into a public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) under Dutch law prior to the Closing Date. For the avoidance of doubt, this definition is meant to include JBS B.V. prior to the conversion of the company into a Dutch public limited liability company.

 

•

“JBS S.A.” refers to JBS S.A., a Brazilian corporation (sociedade anônima).

 

•

“JBS Group,” “we,” “our,” “us,” “our company” or like terms refer to: (1) JBS S.A. and its consolidated subsidiaries prior to the completion of the Proposed Transaction; and (2) JBS N.V. and its consolidated subsidiaries (including JBS S.A.), following the completion of the Proposed Transaction, unless the context otherwise requires or otherwise indicated.

 

•

“JBS USA” refers to JBS USA Holding Lux S.à r.l. (formerly JBS USA Holdings, Inc.), a private limited liability company (société à responsabilité limitée) incorporated and existing under the laws of Luxembourg. JBS USA Lux S.A. was merged into JBS USA on December 21, 2023, with JBS USA as the surviving entity. JBS USA is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of JBS S.A.

The issuer was incorporated on October 9, 2019 as a private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) under Dutch law, with its corporate seat (statutaire zetel) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with the name “Violet Holdings B.V.” On February 3, 2020, its name was changed to “Swift Foods B.V.” and, on November 17, 2022, its name was changed to “JBS B.V.” Prior to the Closing Date, the issuer will be converted into a public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) under Dutch law with the name “JBS N.V.” As of the date of this prospectus, the issuer is a wholly-owned subsidiary of LuxCo and holds, through Brazil Holdco, 24.79% of the JBS S.A. Common Shares. Prior to the completion of the Proposed Transaction, J&F intends to transfer the remainder of its JBS S.A. Common Shares to Brazil Holdco and to transfer the corresponding shares issued by Brazil Holdco to LuxCo for further transfer to JBS N.V., as a result of which the issuer will indirectly hold all of the shares of JBS S.A. that are currently indirectly held by our ultimate controlling shareholders.

In addition, in this prospectus, except where otherwise indicated or where the context requires otherwise:

 

•

“ADS” means American Depositary Share.

 

•

“ADS Cash Dividend Record Date” means the record date on which JBS S.A. ADS Holders must hold JBS S.A. ADSs in order to receive the Cash Dividend. The ADS Cash Dividend Record Date will be set by the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank (which may be the date of the JBS SA General Meeting or a later date).

 

•

“ADS Exchange Date” means date on which the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will initiate the exchange of existing JBS S.A. ADSs for JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares. We expect that the ADS Exchange Date will be approximately two U.S. business days after the Closing Date.

 

•

“ADS Voting Record Date” means the record date on which JBS S.A. ADS Holders must hold JBS S.A. ADSs in order to give instructions to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank for the exercise of voting rights at the JBS S.A. General Meeting. The ADS Voting Record Date is expected to be    , 2024.

 

•

“Australia” means the Commonwealth of Australia.

 

•

“BDR” means Brazilian Depositary Receipt.

 

•

“BNDES” means the Brazilian Economic and Social Development Bank (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social—BNDES).

 

v

•

“BNDESPar” means BNDES Participações S.A., a corporation (sociedade por ações) incorporated under the laws of Brazil and wholly owned by BNDES. For more information, see “Principal Shareholders.”

 

•

“B3” or “São Paulo Stock Exchange” means B3 S.A. – Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão.

 

•

“Brazil” means the Federative Republic of Brazil.

 

•

“Brazil Holdco” or “JBS Participações” means JBS Participações Societárias S.A., a corporation (sociedade por ações) incorporated under the laws of Brazil. JBS Participações is a holding company that is wholly owned by JBS N.V. and controlled by our ultimate controlling shareholders. See “Principal Shareholders.” Brazil Holdco has no operations and holds no assets other than a certain number of JBS S.A. Common Shares previously owned by J&F and FIP Formosa.

 

•

“Brazil HoldCo General Meeting” means the general meeting of the sole shareholder of Brazil HoldCo scheduled for     , 2024, during which JBS N.V., as sole shareholder of Brazil HoldCo, will approve the Redemption.

 

•

“Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares” means Brazil HoldCo shares that are mandatorily redeemable for JBS N.V. BDRs.

 

•

“Brazilian Central Bank” means the Central Bank of Brazil (Banco Central do Brasil).

 

•

“Brazilian Corporation Law” means the Brazilian Law No. 6,404/76, as amended.

 

•

“Brazilian real,” “Brazilian reais” or “R$” means the Brazilian real, the official currency of Brazil.

 

•

“Cash Dividend” means the proposed cash dividend estimated, at current market conditions, at R$1.00 per JBS S.A. Common Share, to be paid to all JBS S.A. Shareholders (including JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders) as of the date of the JBS S.A. General Meeting (including JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders) and all JBS S.A. ADS Holders as of the ADS Cash Dividend Record Date, subject to approval at the JBS S.A. General Meeting. The aggregate amount of the Cash Dividend is R$2,218,116,370.00, based on 2,218,116,370 JBS S.A. Common Shares issued and outstanding. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction.”

 

•

“Class A Conversion Period” means the period starting on the first trading day of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the NYSE and ending on December 31, 2026. During the Class A Conversion Period, Eligible Shareholders may request, after receiving the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (having, if needed, first cancelled its relevant JBS N.V. BDRs), to convert all or a portion of their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, up to the Maximum Convertible Shares, into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares at a ratio of one JBS N.V. Class B Common Share for each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share held, subject to the Minimum Free Float requirement. In addition, during the Class A Conversion Period, our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) may request to convert all or a portion of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by LuxCo at 10 a.m. São Paulo time on the Conversion Record Date into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares at the same ratio of one JBS N.V. Class B Common Share for each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share held. For the avoidance of doubt, the Maximum Conversion Rate and the Minimum Free Float will not be applicable to conversion requests made by LuxCo. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction—Class A Conversion Period.”

 

•

“Class A Conversion Request” means a written request by an Eligible Shareholder or LuxCo addressed to our board of directors indicating, among other information, the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that such Eligible Shareholder or LuxCo, as the case may be, is requesting to convert into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction—Class A Conversion Period.”

 

•

“Closing Date” means the date on which the Merger of Shares and the Redemption will take place, resulting in: (1) as it relates to the Merger of Shares, the contribution of every two JBS S.A. Common

 

vi

Shares issued and outstanding on the Last Trading Day that are not held by Brazil HoldCo (including by the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) in exchange for one newly issued Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Share; and (2) as it relates to the Redemption, the immediate redemption by Brazil HoldCo of all of its Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares for JBS N.V. BDRs.

 

•

“CMN” means the Brazilian Monetary Council (Conselho Monetário Nacional).

 

•

“Controlling Shareholder Contributions” means the first step in the Corporate Restructuring, pursuant to which JBS N.V. will, through a series of transactions, become the indirect controlling shareholder of JBS S.A. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction—Overview.”

 

•

“Conversion” means the conversion of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction—Class A Conversion Period.”

 

•

“Conversion Record Date” means the first trading day of the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction—Class A Conversion Period.”

 

•

“Corporate Restructuring” means the corporate restructuring process that the JBS Group intends to conduct which, as described in this prospectus, ultimately aims to migrate the JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders to become shareholders of JBS N.V. The Proposed Transaction is the second and final step in the Corporate Restructuring. For more information about the Corporate Restructuring, see “Information about JBS N.V.”

 

•

“CVM” means the Brazilian Securities Commission (Comissão de Valores Mobiliários).

 

•

“Delisting” means the delisting of the JBS S.A. Common Shares from the Novo Mercado listing segment of B3.

 

•

“direct controlling shareholders” means, with respect to JBS S.A. as of the date of this prospectus, J&F and JBS Participações, and prior to the completion of the Proposed Transaction, JBS Participações. Following the completion of the Proposed Transaction, our direct controlling shareholder will be LuxCo. See “Principal Shareholders.”

 

•

“DOJ” means the U.S. Department of Justice.

 

•

“DTC” means The Depository Trust Company.

 

•

“Eligible Shareholder” means a person entitled to one or more JBS N.V. BDRs at the opening of trading on the Conversion Record Date who is entitled to such JBS N.V. BDRs in connection with the Proposed Transaction, and each JBS S.A. ADS Holder who is entitled to receive the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in connection with the Proposed Transaction. The maximum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares which an Eligible Shareholder may request, after receiving the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (having, if needed, first cancelled its relevant JBS N.V. BDRs), to convert into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares (the “Maximum Convertible Shares”) equals, in the case of a former JBS S.A. Shareholder, the number of JBS N.V. BDRs to which such Eligible Shareholder is entitled at the opening of trading of the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 on the Conversion Record Date (not including any fractional JBS N.V. BDRs received as part of the Proposed Transaction) and, in the case of a former JBS S.A. ADS Holder, the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that such Eligible Shareholder is entitled to receive from the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank in connection with the Proposed Transaction. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction.”

 

•

“EUR” or “€” means the Euro, the official currency of the European Economic Area.

 

•

“Exchange Act” means the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

•

“Exchange Ratio” means the number of Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares that each JBS S.A. Shareholder (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank, but excluding Brazil HoldCo) will receive per JBS S.A. Common Share in consideration for the Merger of Shares. On the Closing Date, JBS S.A. Shareholders (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank, but excluding Brazil HoldCo) will receive one Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Share for every two JBS S.A. Common Shares it holds on the Last

 

vii

Trading Day. Immediately thereafter, each Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Share will be redeemed in exchange for one JBS N.V. BDR. Consequently, each JBS S.A. ADS Holder will receive, upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, one JBS N.V. Class A Common Share for each JBS S.A. ADS that it holds (each JBS S.A. ADS representing two JBS S.A. Common Shares). For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction.”

 

•

“FIP Formosa” means Fundo de Investimento em Participações em Cadeias Produtivas Agroindustriais – FIP FIAGRO Formosa – Investimento no Exterior (formerly Fundo de Investimento em Participações Multiestratégia Formosa), a Brazilian investment fund indirectly wholly owned by J&F and controlled by our ultimate controlling shareholders. FIP Formosa was formerly a direct shareholder of JBS S.A., holding 8.1% of the total capital stock of JBS S.A. On December 22, 2023, FIP Formosa contributed and transferred all of its JBS S.A. Common Shares to Brazil Holdco. As of the date of this prospectus, FIP Formosa remains an indirect shareholder of JBS S.A.

 

•

“Huon Acquisition” means JBS USA’s acquisition of Huon Aquaculture Group Ltd (“Huon”), an Australian salmon aquaculture business. The Huon Acquisition was completed on November 17, 2021.

 

•

“IASB” means the International Accounting Standards Board.

 

•

“IFRS” means International Financial Reporting Standards.

 

•

“J&F” means J&F Investimentos S.A., a corporation (sociedade por ações) incorporated under the laws of Brazil. J&F is controlled by our ultimate controlling shareholders. See “Principal Shareholders.”

 

•

“JBS Australia” means Baybrick Pty Limited, an Australian proprietary limited company. JBS Australia is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of JBS S.A.

 

•

“JBS Canada” means JBS Food Canada ULC, a Canadian unlimited company. JBS Canada is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of JBS S.A.

 

•

“JBS Finance Luxembourg” means JBS Finance Luxembourg S.à r.l., a private limited liability company (société à responsabilité limitée) incorporated and existing under the laws of Luxembourg. JBS Finance Luxembourg is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of JBS S.A.

 

•

“JBS Luxembourg Company” means JBS Luxembourg Company S.à r.l., a private limited liability company (société à responsabilité limitée) incorporated and existing under the laws of Luxembourg. JBS Luxembourg Company is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of JBS S.A.

 

•

“JBS N.V. BDRs” means BDRs representing one JBS N.V. Class A Common Share. We intend to apply to list the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3.

 

•

“JBS N.V. BDR Custodian” means The Bank of New York Mellon, in its capacity as U.S. custodian of the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank.

 

•

“JBS N.V. BDR Deposit Agreement” means the deposit agreement dated July 20, 2023, between JBS N.V. and the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank.

 

•

“JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank” means Banco Bradesco S.A., the depositary for the JBS N.V. BDRs.

 

•

“JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares” means class A common shares in the capital of JBS N.V., with a par value of €0.01 (equivalent to approximately US$0.011062 converted using the foreign exchange rate as at December 31, 2023) per class A common share, whereby each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share confers the right to one vote per share at a general meeting of shareholders.

 

•

“JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares” means class B common shares in the capital of JBS N.V., with a par value of €0.10 (equivalent to approximately US$0.11062, converted using the foreign exchange rate as at December 31, 2023) per class B common share, whereby each JBS N.V. Class B Common Share confers the right to ten votes per share at a general meeting of shareholders.

 

viii

•

“JBS N.V. Common Shares” means, collectively, JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares.

 

•

“JBS N.V. Conversion Shares” means conversion shares in the capital of JBS N.V., with a par value of €0.09 (equivalent to approximately US$0.099558, converted using the foreign exchange rate as at December 31, 2023) per conversion share, whereby each JBS N.V. Conversion Share confers the right to nine votes per share at a general meeting of shareholders.

 

•

“JBS N.V. Free Float Percentage” means the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by non-controlling shareholders (being at the time of the Proposed Transaction all shareholders of JBS N.V. except LuxCo) divided by the total number of JBS N.V. Common Shares outstanding multiplied by 100%.

 

•

“JBS N.V. Shares” means, collectively, the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares and the JBS N.V. Conversion Shares.

 

•

“JBS S.A. ADS” means an ADS representing two JBS S.A. Common Shares. JBS S.A. ADSs are issued pursuant to the JBS S.A. ADS Program and trade in the over-the-counter market under the symbol “JBSAY.”

 

•

“JBS S.A. ADS Deposit Agreement” means the deposit agreement dated as of December 1, 2008, among, inter alia, JBS S.A. and the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank.

 

•

“JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank” means The Bank of New York Mellon, the depositary for the JBS S.A. ADSs.

 

•

“JBS S.A. ADS Holders” means holders of JBS S.A. ADSs.

 

•

“JBS S.A. ADS Program” means the Level 1 ADS program sponsored by JBS S.A. pursuant to which JBS S.A. ADSs have been issued.

 

•

“JBS S.A. Common Shares” means shares of common stock of JBS S.A.

 

•

“JBS S.A. General Meeting” means the general meeting of shareholders of JBS S.A. scheduled for     , 2024, during which JBS S.A. Shareholders (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank, on behalf of the JBS S.A. ADS Holders) will have the opportunity to vote on the Merger of Shares and the Cash Dividend.

 

•

“JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding” means all JBS S.A. Common Shares (including JBS S.A. Common Shares underlying JBS S.A. ADSs) except for treasury shares and shares owned by JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders and their related parties or by directors or officers of JBS S.A.

 

•

“JBS S.A. Shareholders” means holders of JBS S.A. Common Shares.

 

•

“King Acquisition” means JBS S.A.’s acquisition of King’s Group (“King”), a global producer of bresaola, with a presence in Italy and the United States. The King Acquisition was completed on February 4, 2022.

 

•

“Last Conversion Quarter” means last quarter prior to the close of the Class A Conversion Period (i.e., the fourth quarter of 2026).

 

•

“Last Trading Day” means the last day the JBS S.A. Common Shares will trade on the B3, immediately prior to the Merger of Shares.

 

•

“LuxCo” means J&F Investments Luxembourg S.à r.l., a private limited liability company (société à responsabilité limitée) incorporated and existing under the laws of Luxembourg. Our ultimate controlling shareholders will indirectly hold their shares of JBS N.V. through LuxCo following the completion of the Corporate Restructuring. LuxCo will be a direct shareholder of JBS N.V. following the completion of the Corporate Restructuring. See “Principal Shareholders—JBS N.V.”

 

•

“Luxembourg” means the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

 

ix

•

“Margarine and Mayonnaise Business Acquisition” means Seara’s acquisition of Bunge Alimentos’ margarine and mayonnaise businesses in Brazil. The acquisition was completed on November 30, 2020.”

 

•

“Maximum Conversion Rate” means 55% of an Eligible Shareholder’s Maximum Convertible Shares. It refers to the maximum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by an Eligible Shareholder which may be converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period, except during the Last Conversion Quarter. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction—Class A Conversion Period.”

 

•

“Maximum Convertible Shares” means the maximum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares which an Eligible Shareholder may request, after receiving the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (having, if needed, first cancelled its relevant JBS N.V. BDRs), to convert into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period. The Maximum Convertible Shares equals, in the case of a former JBS S.A. Shareholder, the number of JBS N.V. BDRs to which such Eligible Shareholder is entitled at the opening of trading of the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 on the Conversion Record Date (not including any fractional JBS N.V. BDRs received as part of the Proposed Transaction) and, in the case of a former JBS S.A. ADS Holder, the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that such Eligible Shareholder is entitled to receive from the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank in connection with the Proposed Transaction. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction—Class A Conversion Period.”

 

•

“Merger of Shares” means the incorporação de ações corporate transaction through which every two JBS S.A. Common Shares issued and outstanding on the Last Trading Day that are not held by Brazil HoldCo (including by the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) will be automatically contributed for their book value into Brazil HoldCo in exchange for one newly issued Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Share, determined pursuant to the Exchange Ratio, resulting in JBS S.A. becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Brazil HoldCo. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction.”

 

•

“Merger of Shares Protocol” means the Brazilian-law document (Protocolo e Justificação de Incorporação de Ações), prepared by the management of JBS S.A. and Brazil HoldCo, to be submitted for approval by their respective shareholders at their respective special meetings of shareholders and that provides the shareholders with information on the terms, conditions and reasoning for the approval of the merger of shares contemplated by the Proposed Transaction. For more information, see “Related Party Transactions—Transaction Documents—Merger of Shares Protocol.”

 

•

“Minimum Free Float” means 20%. With respect to the Last Conversion Quarter, if the aggregate number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in respect of which our board of directors has received one or more conversion requests during the entire Class A Conversion Period which it deems satisfactory would, if all JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which such conversion request(s) pertain(s) would be converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, cause the JBS N.V. Free Float Percentage on December 31, 2026 to fall below the Minimum Free Float, the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which each such conversion request received during the Last Conversion Quarter pertains shall be reduced on a pro rata basis so that the aggregate number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares does not result in the JBS N.V. Free Float Percentage on December 31, 2026 to fall below the Minimum Free Float. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction—Class A Conversion Period.”

 

•

“Mexico” means the United Mexican States.

 

•

“Moy Park” means Moy Park Holdings (Europe) Ltd., a private company incorporated under the laws of Northern Ireland. Moy Park owns the companies that comprise the “Moy Park” business based in the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands. Moy Park is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PPC.

 

•

“the Netherlands” means the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

 

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•

“Pilgrim’s Food Masters Acquisition” means PPC’s acquisition of the specialty meats and ready meals businesses of Kerry Group plc, which have subsequently changed their name to Pilgrim’s Food Masters (“PFM”). The specialty meats and ready meals businesses are manufacturers of branded and private label meats, meat snacks and food-to-go products in the United Kingdom and Ireland and an ethnic chilled and frozen ready meals business in the United Kingdom. The Pilgrim’s Food Masters Acquisition was completed on September 24, 2021.

 

•

“PPC” means Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, a Delaware corporation. JBS S.A. beneficially owns approximately 83% of PPC’s outstanding common stock.

 

•

“Proposed Transaction” means: (1) the Merger of Shares; (2) the Redemption; and (3) the Cash Dividend, as detailed and subject to the conditions described in this prospectus. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction.”

 

•

“Redemption” means the redemption by Brazil HoldCo of all of the Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares and delivery to each holder thereof (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) of one JBS N.V. BDR for every one Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Share held. The JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will cause the JBS N.V. BDRs that it receives pursuant to the Redemption to be immediately cancelled for delivery of the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, which it will deliver to JBS S.A. ADS Holders upon surrender by those holders of their JBS S.A. ADSs and payment by the JBS S.A. ADS Holders of certain fees to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank. The Redemption will take place immediately after the Merger of Shares. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction.”

 

•

“Rivalea Acquisition” means JBS Australia’s acquisition of Rivalea Holdings Pty Ltd and Oxdale Dairy Enterprise Pty Ltd. (“Rivalea”), a hog breeding and processing business in Australia. The Rivalea Acquisition was completed on January 4, 2022.

 

•

“Seara” means Seara Alimentos Ltda., a Brazilian limited liability company (sociedade limitada). Seara and its subsidiaries produce poultry, pork and processed foods in Brazil. Seara is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of JBS S.A.

 

•

“SEC” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

•

“Securities Act” means the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

•

“Sunnyvalley Acquisition” means JBS USA’s acquisition of Sunnyvalley Smoked Meats, Inc. (“Sunnyvalley”), a producer of a variety of smoked bacon, ham and turkey products for sale to retail and wholesale consumers under the Sunnyvalley brand. The Sunnyvalley Acquisition was completed on December 1, 2021.

 

•

“TriOak Business Acquisition” means JBS USA’s acquisition of the TriOak Foods (“TriOak”) business. TriOak is an American pork producer and grain marketer. The TriOak Business Acquisition was completed on December 2, 2022.

 

•

“U.K.” or “United Kingdom” means the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

 

•

“ultimate controlling shareholders” means Messrs. Joesley Mendonça Batista and Wesley Mendonça Batista.

 

•

“U.S.” or “United States” means the United States of America.

 

•

“U.S. dollars,” “US$” or “$” means U.S. dollars, the official currency of the United States.

 

•

“USDA” means the United States Department of Agriculture.

 

•

“Vivera Business Acquisition” means JBS USA’s acquisition of the business of Vivera Topholding BV (“Vivera”), a manufacturer of plant-based food products in Europe. Vivera offers products under the Vivera brand, as well as private labels, in more than 25 countries. The Vivera Business Acquisition was completed on June 17, 2021.

 

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus includes statements reflecting assumptions, expectations, intentions or beliefs about future events that are intended as “forward-looking statements.” All statements included in this prospectus, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that we or our management expect, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These statements represent our reasonable judgment on the future based on various factors and using numerous assumptions and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results and financial position to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They use words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “forecast,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect” and other words of similar meaning. In particular, these include, but are not limited to, statements of our current views and estimates of future economic circumstances, industry conditions in domestic and international markets and our performance and financial results.

Among the factors that may cause actual results and events to differ from the anticipated results and expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are the following:

 

•

the Proposed Transaction and the expected timing and satisfaction of conditions precedent for completion of the Proposed Transaction;

 

•

the risk of outbreak of animal diseases, more stringent trade barriers in key export markets and increased regulation of food safety and security;

 

•

product contamination or recall concerns;

 

•

fluctuations in the prices of live cattle, hogs, chicken, corn and soymeal;

 

•

fluctuations in the selling prices of beef, pork and chicken products;

 

•

developments in, or changes to, the laws, regulations and governmental policies governing our business and products or failure to comply with them, including environmental and sanitary liabilities;

 

•

currency exchange rate fluctuations, trade barriers, exchange controls, political risk and other risks associated with export and foreign operations;

 

•

changes in international trade regulations;

 

•

our strategic direction and future operation;

 

•

deterioration of economic conditions globally and more specifically in the principal markets in which we operate;

 

•

our ability to implement our business plan, including our ability to arrange financing when required and on reasonable terms and the implementation of our financing strategy and capital expenditure plan;

 

•

the successful integration or implementation of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances or divestiture plans;

 

•

the competitive nature of the industry in which we operate and the consolidation of our customers;

 

•

customer demands and preferences;

 

•

our level of indebtedness;

 

•

adverse weather conditions in our areas of operations;

 

•

continued access to a stable workforce and favorable labor relations with employees;

 

•

our dependence on key members of our management;

 

•

the interests of our ultimate controlling shareholders;

 

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•

reputational risk in connection with U.S. and Brazilian civil and criminal actions and investigations involving our ultimate controlling shareholders, and the outcome of these actions;

 

•

economic instability in Brazil and a resulting reduction in market confidence in the Brazilian economy;

 

•

political crises in Brazil;

 

•

the declaration or payment of dividends or interest attributable to shareholders’ equity;

 

•

the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict, including higher prices for commodities, such as food products, ingredients and energy products, increasing inflation in some countries, and disrupted trade and supply chains as a result of disruptions caused by these conflicts;

 

•

unfavorable outcomes in legal and regulatory proceedings and government investigations that we are, or may become, a party to;

 

•

the risk factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors”;

 

•

other factors or trends affecting our financial condition, liquidity or results of operations; and

 

•

other statements contained in this prospectus regarding matters that are not historical facts.

In addition, there may be other factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, that could cause our actual results and events to be materially different from the results referenced in the forward-looking statements. Many of these factors will be important in determining our actual future results. Consequently, any or all of our forward-looking statements may turn out to be inaccurate.

We caution investors not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

All forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

 

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PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL AND OTHER INFORMATION

Financial Statements

JBS N.V.

JBS N.V. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of LuxCo. As of the date of this prospectus, JBS N.V. holds, through Brazil Holdco, 24.79% of the JBS S.A. Common Shares. Prior to the completion of the Proposed Transaction, J&F intends to transfer the remainder of its JBS S.A. Common Shares to Brazil Holdco and to transfer the corresponding shares issued by Brazil Holdco to LuxCo for further transfer to JBS N.V., as a result of which JBS N.V. will indirectly hold all of the shares of JBS S.A. that are currently indirectly held by our ultimate controlling shareholders.

As further described in this prospectus, the JBS Group proposes that all remaining JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders become shareholders of JBS N.V. Accordingly, the business of JBS N.V. and its consolidated subsidiaries following the completion of the Proposed Transaction will be the same as the business of JBS S.A. and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the date of this prospectus.

Following the completion of the Proposed Transaction, JBS N.V. will begin reporting consolidated financial information to shareholders prepared in accordance with IFRS, as issued by the IASB.

JBS S.A.

JBS S.A., which is JBS N.V.’s predecessor for accounting purposes, maintains its books and records in Brazilian reais, which is its functional currency. JBS S.A.’s consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus are presented in U.S. dollars. JBS S.A.’s consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus include the consolidation of the financial statements of all of its subsidiaries which are prepared using each subsidiary’s respective functional currency. At the entity level, transactions in foreign currencies other than the functional currency of the entity are initially measured using the exchange rates prevailing at the dates of each transaction. Foreign currency monetary items in the statement of financial position are translated using the closing exchange rate as of the reporting date. Foreign exchange gains and losses resulting from the settlement of such transactions and from the remeasurement at period end of foreign currency monetary assets and liabilities are recognized in the consolidated statement of income, under the captions “Finance income” or “Finance expense.”

This prospectus includes financial information derived from JBS S.A.’s audited consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes thereto, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus. We refer to these as “JBS S.A.’s audited financial statements.”

JBS S.A.’s audited financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), as issued by International Accounting Standards Board (IASB).

The Corporate Restructuring and the Proposed Transaction

The JBS Group intends to conduct a corporate restructuring process which, as described in this prospectus, ultimately aims to migrate the JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders to become shareholders of JBS N.V.

As the first step in the Corporate Restructuring, prior to the Closing Date, JBS N.V. will, through a series of transactions, become the indirect controlling shareholder of JBS S.A. J&F and FIP Formosa have entered into a binding and unconditional agreement with JBS N.V., Brazil HoldCo and LuxCo pursuant to which the parties agreed that the Controlling Shareholder Contributions will occur in two phases: (A) in the first phase: (1) J&F will contribute and transfer a portion of its JBS S.A. Common Shares (or 369,918,510 JBS S.A. Common

 

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Shares), and FIP Formosa will contribute and transfer all of its JBS S.A. Common Shares (or 180,010,329 JBS S.A. Common Shares) to Brazil HoldCo in exchange for newly-issued shares of Brazil HoldCo; (2) immediately thereafter, J&F and FIP Formosa will contribute and transfer all such shares of Brazil HoldCo to LuxCo; and (3) immediately thereafter, LuxCo will contribute and transfer all such shares of Brazil HoldCo to JBS N.V.; and (B) in the second phase, after approval at the JBS S.A. General Meeting of the Merger of Shares and approval at the Brazil HoldCo General Meeting of the Redemption (1) J&F will contribute and transfer all of its remaining JBS S.A. Common Shares to LuxCo; (2) immediately thereafter, LuxCo will contribute and transfer all such JBS S.A. Common Shares to JBS N.V.; and (3) immediately thereafter, JBS N.V. will contribute and transfer all such JBS S.A. Common Shares to Brazil HoldCo. Following the completion of the Controlling Shareholder Contributions and immediately prior to the second step described below, we expect that LuxCo will hold 241,969,477 JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and 295,740,472 JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares. The first phase of the Controlling Shareholder Contributions occurred on December 22, 2023, as a result of which, as of the date of this prospectus, J&F and Brazil HoldCo are the direct controlling shareholders of JBS S.A. J&F indirectly owns 100% of the total capital stock of Brazil HoldCo, and Messrs. Joesley Mendonça Batista and Wesley Mendonça Batista indirectly own 100% of the capital stock of J&F and share voting and investment powers and the right to receive the economic benefit of the shares held by J&F. The parties have agreed that the second phase of the Controlling Shareholder Contributions shall be completed only after approval at the JBS S.A. General Meeting of the Merger of Shares and approval at the Brazil HoldCo General Meeting of the Redemption. Once the second phase of the Controlling Shareholder Contributions is completed, JBS N.V. will, through Brazil HoldCo, indirectly hold the JBS S.A. Common Shares that are currently held directly by J&F. Accordingly, JBS N.V. will become the indirect controlling shareholder of JBS S.A. This step has been and will be subject to the same exchange ratio of one JBS N.V. Common Share for every two JBS S.A. Common Shares that will be applied to JBS S.A.’s non-controlling shareholders pursuant to the Merger of Shares and Redemption, which will result in each JBS S.A. Shareholder on the Last Trading Day and each JBS S.A. ADS Holder who surrenders their JBS S.A. ADSs after the Closing Date receiving the same economic interest in the total capital of JBS N.V. as such JBS S.A. Shareholder or JBS S.A. ADS Holder had in JBS S.A., except for the effect of the sale of any fractional JBS N.V. BDRs attributed to JBS S.A. shareholders resulting from the Merger of Shares and the Redemption and the issuance or transfer of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to certain members of senior management as a performance bonus for the successful completion of the Proposed Transaction, as further described under “Management—Compensation of Executive Officers and Directors.” However, since the capital structure of JBS N.V. will differ from that of JBS S.A. as a result of the dual-class structure of JBS N.V., the voting power of our ultimate controlling shareholders (held indirectly, through LuxCo) may increase substantially in relation to our non-controlling shareholders as a result of the aforementioned steps, depending on the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period.

The second and final step in the Corporate Restructuring, as further described in this prospectus, is to effect a Merger of Shares under which every two JBS S.A. Common Shares that are not held by Brazil HoldCo (including by the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) will be automatically contributed into Brazil HoldCo in exchange for one newly issued mandatorily redeemable preferred share of Brazil HoldCo. Each JBS S.A. Shareholder (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) will receive Brazil HoldCo shares that are mandatorily redeemable for JBS N.V. BDRs, i.e., the Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares. Immediately following the Merger of Shares, Brazil HoldCo will redeem all of the Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares and deliver to each holder thereof (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) JBS N.V. BDRs. As a result of this step, JBS S.A. Shareholders on the Last Trading Day and JBS S.A. ADS Holders who surrender their JBS S.A. ADSs after the Closing Date will become shareholders of JBS N.V., and Brazil HoldCo will hold 100% of the JBS S.A. Common Shares.

As the ultimate controlling shareholders of all entities involved in the transaction are the same immediately prior to and immediately following the Corporate Restructuring, the Corporate Restructuring will be accounted for as a reorganization under common control. The consolidated operations, assets, liabilities and contingencies of JBS N.V. immediately following the Corporate Restructuring will be the same as those of JBS S.A.

 

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immediately prior to it and therefore the reorganization will be accounted for on a book value basis – the carrying amounts of JBS S.A.’s consolidated assets and liabilities will be reflected in JBS N.V.’s consolidated financial statements with no fair value adjustments related to the Proposed Transaction. As a result, the consolidated financial statements of JBS N.V. following the Corporate Restructuring will reflect:

 

•

The historical consolidated operating results, cash flows and financial position of JBS S.A. (as predecessor) for all dates and periods prior to the effective closing date of the Corporate Restructuring.

 

•

The contribution of JBS S.A.’s consolidated assets and liabilities at book value on the effective closing date of the Corporate Restructuring;

 

•

The consolidated operating results and cash flows of JBS N.V. (as successor) and its consolidated subsidiaries, including JBS S.A., following the effective closing date of the Corporate Restructuring as a continuation of those of JBS S.A., and the financial position of JBS N.V. as of the year-end subsequent to the effective closing date of the Corporate Restructuring. The comparative periods will be restated as if the reorganization had taken place at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented.

 

•

An adjustment, against retained earnings, in the consolidated statement of changes in equity as of the effective closing date of the Corporate Restructuring to reflect the statutory equity reserves of JBS N.V.

 

•

The number of common shares issued by JBS N.V. will be reflected retrospectively to all periods, for the purposes of calculating earnings per share.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We have disclosed certain non-GAAP financial measures in this prospectus, including Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin. These non-GAAP financial measures are used as measures of performance by our management and should not be considered as measures of financial performance in accordance with IFRS. You should rely on non-GAAP financial measures in a supplemental manner only in making your investment decision. There is no standard definition of non-GAAP financial measures, and JBS S.A.’s definitions may not be comparable to those used by other companies.

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin

Adjusted EBITDA is calculated by making the following adjustments to net income, as further described in this prospectus (see “Summary—Summary Historical Financial Data”): exclusion of net finance expenses; exclusion of current and deferred income taxes; exclusion of depreciation and amortization expenses; exclusion of share of profit of equity-accounted investees, net of tax; exclusion of antitrust agreements expenses; exclusion of donations and social programs expenses; exclusion of J&F Leniency expenses refund; exclusion of impairment of assets; exclusion of restructuring expenses; and exclusion of certain other operating income (expense), net.

Adjusted EBITDA Margin is calculated by dividing Adjusted EBITDA by net revenue.

The use of Adjusted EBITDA, instead of net income, and Adjusted EBITDA Margin, instead of net margin, have limitations as analytical tools, including the following:

 

•

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin do not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, working capital needs;

 

•

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin do not reflect interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments, on debt;

 

•

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin do not reflect income tax expense or the cash requirements to pay taxes;

 

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•

Although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin do not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements;

 

•

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin do not reflect historical cash expenditures or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments; and

 

•

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin include adjustments that represent cash expenses or that represent non-cash charges that may relate to future cash expenses.

For more information about Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin and the adjusting items JBS S.A. used to calculate Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin, see “Summary—Summary Historical Financial Data.”

Industry and Market Data

Certain market and industry data included in this prospectus have been obtained from third-party sources that we believe to be reliable, such as the USDA. We have not independently verified such third-party information and cannot assure you of its accuracy or completeness. While we are not aware of any misstatements regarding any market, industry or similar data presented herein, such data involves risks and uncertainties and is subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors.”

Nothing in this prospectus should be interpreted as a market forecast.

Brands

This prospectus includes trademarks, trade names and trade dress of other companies. Use or display by us of other parties’ trademarks, trade names or trade dress or products is not intended to and does not imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, the trademark, trade name or trade dress owners. Solely for the convenience of investors, in some cases we refer to our brands in this prospectus without the ^® symbol, but these references are not intended to indicate in any way that we will not assert our rights to these brands to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Rounding

Certain figures and some percentages included in this prospectus have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, the totals included in certain tables contained in this prospectus may not correspond to the arithmetic aggregation of the figures or percentages that precede them.

 

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION, THE JBS S.A. GENERAL MEETING AND JBS N.V.

The following questions and answers are intended to briefly address some commonly asked questions regarding the Proposed Transaction, the JBS S.A. General Meeting, JBS N.V. and other matters. These questions and answers only highlight some of the information contained in this prospectus and may not contain all of the information that is important to you, current JBS S.A. Shareholder and JBS S.A. ADS Holder. Please further refer to “The Proposed Transaction” and the more detailed information contained elsewhere in this prospectus and the exhibits to this prospectus, which you should read carefully and in their entirety.

Questions and Answers for Current JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders about the Proposed Transaction

What is the Proposed Transaction on which I am being asked to vote?

The Proposed Transaction is part of a corporate restructuring of the JBS Group with the purpose of listing shares on the NYSE and BDRs on the B3 that represent equity of JBS N.V. Currently, JBS S.A. Common Shares are listed on the B3 and JBS S.A. ADSs trade over-the-counter in the U.S. Upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, we expect to list JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the NYSE, to list JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 and to delist JBS S.A. Common Shares from the Novo Mercado listing segment of the B3. In addition, the JBS S.A. ADS Program will be terminated following the completion of the Proposed Transaction. See “The Proposed Transaction—JBS S.A. ADS Holders” for additional information regarding the treatment of JBS S.A. ADS Holders in the Proposed Transaction.

The completion of the Proposed Transaction is expected to occur on or about      business days after the JBS S.A. General Meeting and the Brazil HoldCo General Meeting, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions described in this prospectus. The Proposed Transaction will consist of the three steps below:

 

•

Merger of Shares. Subject to approval at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, on the Closing Date, the Merger of Shares will be implemented through an incorporação de ações under the Brazilian Corporation Law. Pursuant to the Merger of Shares, every two JBS S.A. Common Shares issued and outstanding on the Last Trading Day that are not held by Brazil HoldCo (including by the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) will be automatically contributed for their book value into Brazil HoldCo in exchange for one Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Share, determined pursuant to the Exchange Ratio, and JBS S.A. will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brazil HoldCo. The Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares are mandatorily redeemable for JBS N.V. BDRs.

 

•

Redemption. Subject to approval by JBS N.V. at the Brazil HoldCo General Meeting and immediately after the implementation of the Merger of Shares, Brazil HoldCo will redeem all of the Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares and deliver to each holder thereof (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) one JBS N.V. BDR for every one Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Share held. The JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will cause the JBS N.V. BDRs that it receives pursuant to the Redemption to be immediately cancelled for delivery of the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, which it will deliver to JBS S.A. ADS Holders upon surrender by those holders of their JBS S.A. ADSs and payment by the JBS S.A. ADS Holders of certain fees to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank. If any other holder of JBS N.V. BDRs wishes to receive the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, that holder must take action to cancel their JBS N.V. BDRs at any time, and from time to time, beginning on or after about two business days after the Closing Date.

 

•

Cash Dividend. Subject to approval at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, all JBS S.A. Shareholders as of the date of the JBS S.A. General Meeting (including JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders) and all JBS S.A. ADS Holders as of the ADS Cash Dividend Record Date will be entitled to receive a Cash Dividend estimated, at current market conditions, at R$1.00 per JBS S.A. Common Share held. The aggregate amount of the Cash Dividend is R$2,218,116,370.00, based on 2,218,116,370 JBS S.A.

 

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Common Shares issued and outstanding. The cost of converting Brazilian reais into U.S. dollars, a fee of US$0.02 per JBS S.A. ADS payable to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank and any applicable taxes will be deducted from payments made to JBS S.A. ADS Holders. The Cash Dividend will be paid following the approval of the Proposed Transaction at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, at a date to be disclosed to the market in due course. Prior to the Closing Date, Brazil HoldCo expects to distribute its portion of the Cash Dividend to JBS N.V., for further distribution to LuxCo.

Immediately following the completion of the Proposed Transaction:

 

•

JBS S.A. will be an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of JBS N.V.

 

•

The business conducted by the JBS Group will be the same as prior to the Proposed Transaction.

 

•

You will become a shareholder of JBS N.V. (in some cases, initially through the holding of JBS N.V. BDRs, which can be cancelled to allow direct interest in JBS N.V. through holding JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares).

 

•

The shareholders of JBS N.V. will be the same as the shareholders of JBS S.A. on the Last Trading Day and holders of JBS S.A. ADSs who surrender their JBS S.A. ADSs after the Closing Date. On the Closing Date, our ultimate controlling shareholders will (indirectly, through LuxCo) hold an aggregate number of JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares and JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that represents the same economic interest in JBS N.V. as they will have in JBS S.A. on the Last Trading Day, except for the effect of the sale of any fractional JBS N.V. BDRs attributed to JBS S.A. Shareholders resulting from the Merger of Shares and the Redemption and the issuance or transfer of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to certain members of senior management as a performance bonus for the successful completion of the Proposed Transaction, as further described under “Management—Compensation of Executive Officers and Directors.” However, since the capital structure of JBS N.V. will differ from that of JBS S.A. as a result of the dual-class structure of JBS N.V. (each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share is entitled to one vote at a general meeting of shareholders of JBS N.V. and each JBS N.V. Class B Common Share is entitled to 10 votes at a general meeting of shareholders of JBS N.V.), the voting power of our ultimate controlling shareholders will increase from 48.48% to 84.85% (assuming the ownership structure of JBS S.A. on the Last Trading Day is the same as on March 15, 2024).

 

•

Our ultimate controlling shareholders will continue to control the JBS Group’s business through the indirect ownership of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares representing in the aggregate 84.85% of the voting power in JBS N.V. (assuming the ownership structure of JBS S.A. on the Last Trading Day is the same as on March 15, 2024), which will represent an increase in their aggregate voting power from the 48.48% voting power in JBS S.A. they held as of March 15, 2024. Following the completion of the Proposed Transaction, and except for any future issuances of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, this voting power will be reduced only if and to the extent that holders of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares successfully request conversions of their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period and do not reconvert into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares thereafter. Moreover, this voting power will be increased to 90.40% to the extent that our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) successfully request conversions of all their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period, Eligible Shareholders do not request such conversion and our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) do not reconvert into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares thereafter and no new shares of JBS N.V. are issued. Following the Class A Conversion Period (and assuming no new shares of JBS N.V. are issued during this period), our ultimate controlling shareholders will (indirectly, through LuxCo) hold between 46.26% and 90.40% of the aggregate voting power in JBS N.V.

 

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What is the purpose of the Proposed Transaction?

The purpose of the Proposed Transaction is to create a corporate structure that allows us to better reflect our global presence and diverse international operations and implement our growth strategy, which we expect will allow us to improve our rating indices and maximize shareholder value. As an NYSE-listed company, we expect to improve our access to funding sources and enhance our ability to raise financing to support our operations and fund growth, as well as lower our cost of capital.

If the Proposed Transaction is concluded, what will I receive?

Subject to the approval of the Merger of Shares at the JBS S.A. General Meeting and the satisfaction of the conditions described in this prospectus, each JBS S.A. Shareholder, except Brazil HoldCo, will receive one JBS N.V. BDR for every two JBS S.A. Common Shares it holds, and each JBS S.A. ADS Holder will receive, upon surrender of its JBS S.A. ADSs and payment of certain fees to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank, one JBS N.V. Class A Common Share for every JBS S.A. ADS that it holds. Specifically, there is a fee of US$0.05 per JBS S.A. ADS in connection with the cancellation of the JBS S.A. ADSs and the delivery of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, in accordance with the JBS S.A. ADS Deposit Agreement. In addition, the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank will charge a fee of R$0.10 per JBS N.V. BDR to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank in connection with the cancellation of the JBS N.V. BDRs that the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank receives pursuant to the Redemption, which fee the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will charge to JBS S.A. ADS Holders.

No tradable fractional JBS N.V. BDRs may be delivered to JBS S.A. Shareholders pursuant to the Proposed Transaction. Following the Closing Date, any fractional JBS N.V. BDRs attributed to JBS S.A. Shareholders resulting from the Merger of Shares and the Redemption will be grouped into whole numbers and sold on the open market managed by B3, as applicable. The net proceeds from the sale of the fractional JBS N.V. BDRs will be distributed on a pro rata basis to the former JBS S.A. Shareholders who contributed their JBS S.A. Common Shares to Brazil HoldCo in the Merger of Shares and would have been entitled to receive fractional JBS N.V. BDRs by virtue of contributing an odd number of JBS S.A. Common Shares. Excluding the Cash Dividend, no additional consideration in cash or in kind will be paid to JBS S.A. Shareholders or JBS S.A. ADS Holders in connection with the Proposed Transaction. Considering that each JBS S.A. ADS represents two JBS S.A. Common Shares, which is the same Exchange Ratio used in the Proposed Transaction, no fractional JBS N.V. BDRs will be attributed to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank on behalf of the JBS S.A. ADS Holders.

The Exchange Ratio is defined in the section “Certain Defined Terms.” The Exchange Ratio has been established so that each JBS S.A. Shareholder (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank, but excluding Brazil HoldCo) receives, upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, one JBS N.V. BDR for every two JBS S.A. Common Shares that it holds on the Last Trading Day. Consequently, each JBS S.A. ADS Holder will receive, upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, one JBS N.V. Class A Common Share for each JBS S.A. ADS that it holds (each JBS S.A. ADS representing two JBS S.A. Common Shares). Prior to the completion of the Proposed Transaction, our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) will have received one JBS N.V. Class A Common Share or one JBS N.V. Class B Common Share for every two JBS S.A. Common Shares held. This will result in each JBS S.A. Shareholder on the Last Trading Day and each JBS S.A. ADS Holder who surrenders their JBS S.A. ADSs after the Closing Date receiving the same economic interest in the total capital of JBS N.V. as such JBS S.A. Shareholder or JBS S.A. ADS Holder had in JBS S.A., except for the effect of the sale of any fractional JBS N.V. BDRs attributed to JBS S.A. Shareholders resulting from the Merger of Shares and the Redemption and the issuance or transfer of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to certain members of senior management as a performance bonus for the successful completion of the Proposed Transaction, as further described under “Management—Compensation of Executive Officers and Directors.”

In addition, all JBS S.A. Shareholders as of the date of the JBS S.A. General Meeting (including JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders) and all JBS S.A. ADS Holders as of the ADS Cash Dividend Record Date will be

 

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entitled to receive a Cash Dividend estimated, at current market conditions, at R$1.00 per JBS S.A. Common Share held. The aggregate amount of the Cash Dividend is R$2,218,116,370.00, based on 2,218,116,370 JBS S.A. Common Shares issued and outstanding. The cost of converting Brazilian reais into U.S. dollars, a fee of US$0.02 per JBS S.A. ADS payable to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank and any applicable taxes will be deducted from payments made to JBS S.A. ADS Holders. The Cash Dividend will be paid following the approval of the Proposed Transaction at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, at a date to be disclosed to the market in due course. Prior to the Closing Date, Brazil HoldCo expects to distribute its portion of the Cash Dividend to JBS N.V., for further distribution to LuxCo.

In connection with the Proposed Transaction, Brazil HoldCo may be required to withhold and collect Brazilian taxes imposed on capital gains assessed, if any, due by certain non-Brazilian JBS S.A. Shareholders that hold their investment under the special tax regime of CMN Resolution No. 4,373/2014. See “Material Tax Considerations—Material Brazilian Tax Considerations.”

Will all JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders receive the same consideration?

In connection with the Proposed Transaction, each holder of JBS S.A. Common Shares issued and outstanding on the Last Trading Day (not including Brazil HoldCo) and each holder of JBS S.A. ADSs who surrenders their JBS S.A. ADSs after the Closing Date will receive JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (directly or in the form of JBS N.V. BDRs), based on the Exchange Ratio. On the other hand, on the Closing Date, our ultimate controlling shareholders will (indirectly, through LuxCo) hold an aggregate number of JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares and JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that represents the same economic interest in JBS N.V. as our controlling shareholders have in JBS S.A. on the Last Trading Day, except for the effect of the sale of any fractional JBS N.V. BDRs attributed to JBS S.A. Shareholders resulting from the Merger of Shares and the Redemption and the issuance or transfer of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to certain members of senior management as a performance bonus for the successful completion of the Proposed Transaction, as further described under “Management—Compensation of Executive Officers and Directors.” Since the capital structure of JBS N.V. will differ from that of JBS S.A. as a result of the dual-class structure of JBS N.V. (each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share is entitled to one vote at a general meeting of shareholders of JBS N.V. and each JBS N.V. Class B Common Share is entitled to 10 votes at a general meeting of shareholders of JBS N.V.), the voting power of our ultimate controlling shareholders will increase from 48.48% to 84.85% immediately upon completion of the Proposed Transaction (assuming the ownership structure of JBS S.A. on the Last Trading Day is the same as on March 15, 2024). Following the completion of the Proposed Transaction, and except for any future issuances of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, this voting power will be reduced only if and to the extent that holders of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares successfully request conversions of their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period and do not reconvert into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares thereafter. Moreover, this voting power will be increased to 90.40% to the extent that our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) successfully request conversions of all their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period, Eligible Shareholders do not request such conversion and our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) do not reconvert into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares thereafter and no new shares of JBS N.V. are issued. Following the Class A Conversion Period (and assuming no new shares of JBS N.V. are issued during this period), our ultimate controlling shareholders will (indirectly, through LuxCo) hold between 46.26% and 90.40% of the aggregate voting power in JBS N.V. The exact percentage of the then-outstanding JBS N.V. Shares and aggregate voting power in JBS N.V. that will be held (indirectly) by our ultimate controlling shareholders upon completion of the Proposed Transaction and the Conversion will depend on the percentage of JBS S.A. Common Shares that they hold on the Last Trading Day, the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that are converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period and reconverted into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, and any additional issuances of JBS N.V. Common Shares after the Proposed Transaction.

In addition, if you are a JBS S.A. ADS Holder you will be required to pay various fees to receive the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which you are entitled. Specifically, there is a fee of US$0.05 per JBS S.A.

 

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ADS in connection with the cancellation of the JBS S.A. ADSs and the delivery of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, in accordance with the JBS S.A. ADS Deposit Agreement. In addition, if you hold JBS S.A. ADSs in a securities account through a broker or other securities intermediary, your intermediary may charge you a fee in connection with the delivery of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to your securities account. Furthermore, the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank will charge a fee of R$0.10 per JBS N.V. BDR to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank in connection with the cancellation of the JBS N.V. BDRs that the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank receives pursuant to the Redemption, which fee the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will charge to JBS S.A. ADS Holders. Furthermore, in connection with the Cash Dividend, the cost of converting Brazilian reais into U.S. dollars, a fee of US$0.02 per JBS S.A. ADS payable to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank and any applicable taxes will be deducted from payments made to JBS S.A. ADS Holders. See “The Proposed Transaction—JBS S.A. ADS Holders” for additional information regarding the treatment of JBS S.A. ADS Holders in the Proposed Transaction.

At any time, and from time to time, on or about two business days after the Closing Date, a holder of JBS N.V. BDRs that wants to receive JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may request the cancellation of all or a portion of its JBS N.V. BDRs. The JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank will charge a fee of R$0.10 per JBS N.V. BDR to JBS N.V. BDR holders in connection with the cancellation of the JBS N.V. BDRs

The various fees payable by JBS S.A. ADS Holders and/or JBS N.V. BDR holders will not be payable by our ultimate controlling shareholders or senior management receiving performance bonus shares.

What happens if the Proposed Transaction is not approved at the JBS S.A. General Meeting?

If the Proposed Transaction is not approved at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, the Proposed Transaction will not become effective. In this case:

 

•

You will continue to hold your JBS S.A. Common Shares and/or JBS S.A. ADSs.

 

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JBS S.A. Common Shares will remain listed on B3 and JBS S.A. ADSs will continue to trade on the OTC market.

 

•

JBS N.V. will not have its Class A Common Shares listed on the NYSE, and you will not receive JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs.

 

•

You will not receive the Cash Dividend.

When do you expect the Proposed Transaction to be concluded?

We expect the Proposed Transaction to close on or about      business days after the JBS S.A. General Meeting, subject to the approval of JBS S.A. Shareholders (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank, on behalf of the JBS S.A. ADS Holders) at the JBS S.A. General Meeting and satisfaction of certain conditions. None of these conditions may be waived, and we cannot guarantee that the Proposed Transaction will be concluded within this timeframe. See “The Proposed Transaction—Conditions Precedent to the Proposed Transaction.”

Will the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and the JBS N.V. BDRs be traded on any stock exchange?

We expect that on or about     , 2024, the JBS N.V. BDRs will be listed on B3 under the symbol “JBSS32,” and on or about     , 2024, the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares will be listed on the NYSE under the symbol “JBS”.

The opening price of the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 will be equivalent to the closing price of the JBS S.A. Common Shares on the Last Trading Day, as adjusted by the Exchange Ratio. We expect that the opening price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the NYSE will be determined by buy and sell orders collected by

 

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the NYSE from broker-dealers. Based on such orders, the designated market maker will determine an opening price for the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares. However, prior to the opening trade, there will not be a price at which underwriters initially sell the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to the public as there would be in a traditional underwritten initial public offering. The absence of a predetermined initial public offering price could impact the range of buy and sell orders collected by the NYSE from various broker-dealers. Consequently, upon listing on the NYSE, the public trading price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may be more volatile than in a traditional underwritten initial public offering and could decline significantly and rapidly. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the Proposed Transaction, the JBS N.V. Common Shares and the JBS N.V. BDRs—There is no existing market for JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs, and we do not know whether one will develop to provide you with adequate liquidity. If the trading price of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs fluctuates after completion of the Proposed Transaction, you could lose a significant part of your investment.”

May I elect to receive JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares instead of JBS N.V. BDRs?

Holders of JBS S.A. Common Shares on the Last Trading Day shall receive JBS N.V. BDRs in connection with the Proposed Transaction. However, at any time, and from time to time, on or after about two business days after the Closing Date, a holder of JBS N.V. BDRs that wants to receive JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may request the cancellation of all or a portion of its JBS N.V. BDRs by: (1) instructing its broker or custodian operating in Brazil to cancel its JBS N.V. BDRs with the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank; and (2) delivering evidence that all fees and potential taxes due in connection with this service were duly paid, as set forth in the JBS N.V. BDR Deposit Agreement. The cancellation instruction to the broker or custodian must include an appropriate brokerage account outside of Brazil to receive the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares. The JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will cause the JBS N.V. BDRs that it receives pursuant to the Redemption to be immediately cancelled for delivery of the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, which it will deliver to JBS S.A. ADS Holders upon surrender by those holders of their JBS S.A. ADSs and payment by the JBS S.A. ADS Holders of certain fees to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank. See “The Proposed Transaction—Receiving JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares.”

May I elect to receive cash instead of JBS N.V. BDRs or JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares?

No. JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders will not be given the option to receive cash in lieu of JBS N.V. BDRs or (in the case of JBS S.A. ADS Holders) JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in the Proposed Transaction. If you do not want to receive JBS N.V. BDRs or (in the case of JBS S.A. ADS Holders) JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in connection with the Proposed Transaction, you must sell you JBS S.A. Common Shares or JBS S.A. ADSs prior to the Last Trading Day. Alternatively, you have the option to: (1) sell the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3; or (2) sell the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares underlying the JBS N.V. BDRs on the NYSE (having first cancelled such JBS N.V. BDRs, if needed).

May I continue to be a JBS S.A. Shareholder or JBS S.A. ADS Holder?

If the Proposed Transaction is concluded, you will not be able to continue to be a direct shareholder of JBS S.A. or holder of JBS S.A. ADSs, but you will be able to continue to be an indirect shareholder of JBS S.A. through the ownership of JBS B.V. Class A Common Shares (including in the form of JBS N.V. BDRs) and JBS B.V. Class B Common Shares. Upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, JBS S.A. will no longer have its shares listed on B3 or any other exchange, the JBS S.A. ADS Program will terminate and JBS S.A. will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Brazil HoldCo.

May I participate in the Proposed Transaction as a JBS S.A. ADS Holder?

If you are a JBS S.A. ADS Holder on the ADS Voting Record Date, you may not participate directly in the JBS S.A. General Meeting, but you will be entitled to instruct the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank to vote the

 

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JBS S.A. Common Shares underlying your JBS S.A. ADSs at the JBS S.A. General Meeting. This means that if you become a JBS S.A. ADS Holder subsequent to the ADS Voting Record Date, which will be prior to the JBS S.A. General Meeting, you will not be entitled to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at the JBS S.A. General Meeting. You will be required to provide voting instructions to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank several business days prior to the JBS S.A. General Meeting. If you hold JBS S.A. ADSs as of the ADS Voting Record Date, you will receive the documents and instructions for voting your JBS S.A. ADSs from the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank or the broker or other securities intermediary through which you hold JBS S.A. ADSs in due course. You may also vote at the JBS S.A. General Meeting if you surrender your JBS S.A. ADSs in accordance with the provisions of the JBS S.A. ADS Deposit Agreement and receive the underlying JBS S.A. Common Shares prior to the date of the JBS S.A. General Meeting.

In addition, if you are a JBS S.A. ADS Holder, you will be entitled to receive a pro rata portion of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that are represented by the JBS N.V. BDRs that the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will receive in connection with the Proposed Transaction upon surrender of your JBS S.A. ADSs. Following the Redemption, the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will cause the JBS N.V. BDRs that it receives pursuant to the Redemption to be immediately cancelled for delivery of the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, which it will deliver to JBS S.A. ADS Holders upon surrender by those holders of their JBS S.A. ADSs and payment by the JBS S.A. ADS Holders of certain fees to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank. Specifically, there is a fee of US$0.05 per JBS S.A. ADS in connection with the cancellation of the JBS S.A. ADSs and the delivery of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, in accordance with the JBS S.A. ADS Deposit Agreement. In addition, if you hold JBS S.A. ADSs in a securities account through a broker or other securities intermediary, your intermediary may charge you a fee in connection with the delivery of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to your securities account. Furthermore, the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank will charge a fee of R$0.10 per JBS N.V. BDR to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank in connection with the cancellation of the JBS N.V. BDRs that the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank receives pursuant to the Redemption, which fee the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will charge to JBS S.A. ADS Holders.

See “The Proposed Transaction—JBS S.A. ADS Holders” for additional information regarding the treatment of JBS S.A. ADS Holders in the Proposed Transaction.

Must I take any action to receive the JBS N.V. BDRs or JBS S.A. Class A Common Shares to which I am entitled in connection with the Proposed Transaction?

If you hold JBS S.A. Common Shares on the Last Trading Day, you will not have to take any action to receive JBS N.V. BDRs in connection with the Proposed Transaction.

If you hold JBS S.A. ADSs, you may be required to take certain actions to receive JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in connection with the Proposed Transaction. On or about the date on which the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank receives the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares pursuant to the cancellation of the JBS N.V. BDRs it receives in connection with the Redemption, the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will initiate the exchange of existing JBS S.A. ADSs for JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (such date, the “ADS Exchange Date”). We expect that the ADS Exchange Date will be approximately two U.S. business days after the Closing Date.

If you hold JBS S.A. ADSs in a securities account through a broker or other securities intermediary that is a participant in DTC (a “DTC Participant”), you will not be required to take any action to surrender your JBS S.A. ADSs. Once the exchange is initiated by the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank on the ADS Exchange Date, DTC will surrender the JBS S.A. ADSs held by all its DTC Participants in one lot for exchange. The DTC Participant through which you hold your JBS S.A. ADSs will then allocate the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which you are entitled to your broker or other securities intermediary’s account, and your broker or other securities intermediary will credit such JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to your account and charge your account an ADS cancellation fee of US$0.05 per JBS S.A. ADS, in accordance with the JBS S.A. ADS Deposit Agreement,

 

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as well as the U.S. dollar-equivalent of the fee of R$0.10 per JBS N.V. BDR (at an exchange rate to be determined by the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank), which the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank paid to the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank in connection with the cancellation of the JBS N.V. BDRs that the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank received pursuant to the Redemption. JBS S.A. ADSs will remain outstanding until surrendered for exchange. Any unsettled trades of JBS S.A. ADSs at the time DTC surrenders the JBS S.A. ADSs held by DTC Participants will be settled in JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares.

If you are a registered holder of JBS S.A. ADSs (i.e., if you hold JBS S.A. ADSs in your own name and not through a bank or brokerage firm) in uncertificated form, you will not be required to take any action to surrender your JBS S.A. ADSs. Your JBS S.A. ADSs will be exchanged automatically within three U.S. business days following the ADS Exchange Date, and the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will charge you an ADS cancellation fee of US$0.05 per JBS S.A. ADS, in accordance with the JBS S.A. ADS Deposit Agreement, as well as the U.S. dollar-equivalent of the fee of R$0.10 per JBS N.V. BDR (at an exchange rate to be determined by the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank), which the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank paid to the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank in connection with the cancellation of the JBS N.V. BDRs that the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank received pursuant to the Redemption.

If you are a registered holder of JBS S.A. ADSs in certificated form, the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will send a letter of transmittal and termination notice to you, and your JBS S.A. ADSs will be exchanged when the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank receives your signed letter of transmittal and JBS S.A. ADS certificate, subject to the payment of an ADS cancellation fee of US$0.05 per JBS S.A. ADS, in accordance with the JBS S.A. ADS Deposit Agreement, as well as the U.S. dollar-equivalent of the fee of R$0.10 per JBS N.V. BDR (at an exchange rate to be determined by the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank), which the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank paid to the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank in connection with the cancellation of the JBS N.V. BDRs that the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank received pursuant to the Redemption.

If you are a registered holder of JBS S.A. ADSs in uncertificated or certificated form, the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which you are entitled will be registered in your name in book-entry position on the JBS N.V. share register kept by our transfer agent. Holders who receive JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in a book-entry position on the JBS N.V. share register kept by our transfer agent will receive an account statement from our transfer agent reflecting their book-entry position through regular mail and may be unable to transfer their securities until they receive this account statement.

JBS S.A. ADSs will remain outstanding until surrendered for exchange. Any unsettled trades of JBS S.A. ADSs at the time the JBS S.A. ADSs are surrendered will be settled in JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares.

The JBS S.A. ADS Program will terminate automatically once all JBS S.A. ADSs are surrendered for exchange. The majority of the JBS S.A. ADSs, which are held through DTC participants, will be surrendered automatically after the ADS Exchange Date.

Will the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank suspend the issuance and cancellation of JBS S.A. ADSs in connection with the Proposed Transaction?

Yes. The JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank will suspend the issuance and cancellation of JBS S.A. ADSs beginning on or about     , 2024, which will be prior to the Last Trading Day. This means that beginning on this date, you will not be able to surrender your JBS S.A. ADSs for delivery of JBS S.A. Common Shares or deposit your JBS S.A. Common Shares for delivery of JBS S.A. ADSs. However, the closing of the issuance and cancellation books does not impact trading, and you may continue to trade your JBS S.A. ADSs. What conditions must be satisfied to complete the Proposed Transaction?

 

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In addition to the necessary corporate approvals, including approval of the Proposed Transaction at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, the material conditions that must be satisfied to complete the Proposed Transaction are set forth below, in chronological order:

Before the JBS S.A. General Meeting is called:

 

•

The registration statement filed with the SEC on Form F-4 to effect the registration under the Securities Act of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (i.e., the underlying assets of the JBS N.V. BDRs) to be issued and delivered to JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders and the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares (of which this prospectus is a part) shall have become effective prior to the date the JBS S.A. General Meeting is called, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Form F-4 shall have been issued, and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been initiated or be threatened, by the SEC.

Before the completion of the Proposed Transaction:

 

•

JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares shall be approved for listing on the NYSE.

 

•

JBS N.V. BDRs shall be approved by the CVM and for listing on B3.

 

•

The Australian Foreign Investment Review Board shall have approved the transfer of the JBS S.A. common shares from J&F and FIP Formosa within the context of the Proposed Transaction. This approval was obtained on March 29, 2023.

None of these conditions may be waived.

Do I have withdrawal rights (direito de recesso) in connection with the Proposed Transaction?

No. None of the JBS S.A. Shareholders (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) will have withdrawal rights (direito de recesso) under the Brazilian Corporation Law.

What will be the accounting treatment of the Proposed Transaction?

As the ultimate controlling shareholders of all entities involved in the transaction are the same immediately prior to and immediately following the Corporate Restructuring, the Corporate Restructuring will be accounted for as a reorganization under common control. The consolidated operations, assets, liabilities and contingencies of JBS N.V. immediately following the Corporate Restructuring will be the same as those of JBS S.A. immediately prior to it and therefore the reorganization will be accounted for on a book value basis – the carrying amounts of JBS S.A.’s consolidated assets and liabilities will be reflected in JBS N.V.’s consolidated financial statements with no fair value adjustments related to the Proposed Transaction. For more information, see “Presentation of Financial and Other Information—The Corporate Restructuring and the Proposed Transaction.”

Questions and Answers about the JBS S.A. General Meeting

What corporate approvals are needed for the Proposed Transaction?

The Merger of Shares and the Cash Dividend is subject to the approval of JBS S.A. Shareholders (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank, on behalf of the JBS S.A. ADS Holders) at the JBS S.A. General Meeting. On     , 2024, the board of directors of JBS S.A. approved convening the JBS S.A. General Meeting that will decide on the Proposed Transaction and recommended its approval.

The Redemption is subject to approval by JBS N.V., as sole shareholder of Brazil HoldCo.

 

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Where and when will the JBS S.A. General Meeting be held?

TIME AND DATE:     , 2024, at      a.m./p.m. (São Paulo time).

PLACE:     .

AGENDA: Consider and vote on: (1) the Merger of Shares, including ancillary matters, such as the approval of the Merger of Shares Protocol and related valuation reports; (2) the Delisting; and (3) the Cash Dividend.

For additional information about the JBS S.A. General Meeting, see “JBS S.A. General Meeting.”

What is the quorum for installation of the JBS S.A. General Meeting?

The JBS S.A. General Meeting will be installed on first call if attended by shareholders representing collectively 1/4 of the outstanding capital stock of JBS S.A. (including JBS S.A. Common Shares represented by JBS S.A. ADSs). If the attendance requirement is not met for the JBS S.A. General Meeting on first call, the JBS S.A. General Meeting will be reconvened at a date and time at least eight calendar days after the date and time scheduled for the JBS S.A. General Meeting on first call. The JBS S.A. General Meeting may be installed on second call with any percentage of holders present at the meeting following the second call. Although JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders will be counted for quorum purposes to install the JBS S.A. General Meeting, and their shares will be sufficient to establish a quorum, the JBS S.A. General Meeting will not be held if no non-controlling shareholders participate because the Proposed Transaction cannot be approved without participation by non-controlling shareholders. As described below under “What is the minimum vote required to approve the Proposed Transaction, and will JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders vote at the JBS S.A. General Meeting?” all matters subject to vote at the JBS S.A. General Meeting are conditional upon each other, such that if one matter is not approved, the others will also be rejected. Since the Delisting must be approved by a majority of the JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding (including JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding represented by JBS S.A. ADSs) present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, the approval of all matters at the JBS S.A. General Meeting will ultimately require approval of the majority of the JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding (including JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding represented by JBS S.A. ADSs) present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting.

What is the minimum vote required to approve the Proposed Transaction, and will JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders vote at the JBS S.A. General Meeting?

The Merger of Shares and ancillary matters, such as the Merger of Shares Protocol and related valuation reports, as described under the caption “JBS S.A. General Meeting—Agenda of the JBS S.A. General Meeting,” require the affirmative vote of at least the majority (50% plus 1 share) of the total outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares (including JBS S.A. Common Shares represented by JBS S.A. ADSs).

The Delisting requires the affirmative vote of at least the majority (50% plus 1 share) of the JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding (including JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding represented by JBS S.A. ADSs) present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting. Accordingly, JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders will not be entitled to vote on this matter.

The Cash Dividend requires the affirmative vote of at least the majority (50% plus 1 share) of the outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting (including JBS S.A. Common Shares represented by JBS S.A. ADSs).

Although, as described above, the minimum vote requirements to approve the different matters being voted on at the JBS S.A. General Meeting vary, all matters subject to vote at the JBS S.A. General Meeting are conditional upon each other, such that if one matter is not approved, the others will also be rejected. Since the

 

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Delisting must be approved by a majority of the JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding (including JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding represented by JBS S.A. ADSs) present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, the approval of all matters at the JBS S.A. General Meeting will ultimately require approval of the majority of the JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding (including JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding represented by JBS S.A. ADSs) present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting. A majority of the JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding represents approximately 25% of the total issued and outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares as of March 15, 2024. However, since certain matters being voted on at the JBS S.A. General Meeting (such as the Merger of Shares) must be approved by a majority of the total outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares (including JBS S.A. Common Shares represented by JBS S.A. ADSs), it is possible that the Proposed Transaction may be approved by non-controlling shareholders representing as little as approximately 1.5% of the total JBS S.A. Common Shares issued and outstanding (which combined with the 48.48% of the issued and outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares held by JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders as of March 15, 2024 amount to a majority of the JBS S.A. Common Shares outstanding). See “Risk Factors— Risks Relating to the Proposed Transaction, the JBS N.V. Common Shares and the JBS N.V. BDRs—The Proposed Transaction may be approved by a small percentage of our non-controlling shareholders.”

JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders, who held 48.48% of the issued and outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares as of March 15, 2024, will be counted for quorum purposes to install the JBS S.A. General Meeting but will only vote in favor of the Merger of Shares (and ancillary matters) and the Cash Dividend if the Delisting is approved and only if their votes are necessary to reach the minimum required affirmative votes. Otherwise, JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders will abstain from voting on such matters.

Are any JBS S.A. Shareholders or JBS S.A. ADS Holders already committed to vote in favor of the proposal to approve the Proposed Transaction?

We have not received any formal commitments to vote in favor of the Proposed Transaction yet. In addition, there is no voting agreement or understanding, formal or informal, with BNDESPar or other non-controlling shareholders.

May I attend the JBS S.A. General Meeting?

If you hold JBS S.A. Common Shares on the day of the JBS S.A. General Meeting, you may attend the JBS S.A. General Meeting, provided that you present the appropriate documentation required by JBS S.A. for participation. The documents and instructions for attendance of the JBS S.A. General Meeting will be available at JBS S.A.’s and CVM’s website in due course.

If you are a JBS S.A. ADS Holder on the ADS Voting Record Date, you may not participate directly in the JBS S.A. General Meeting, but you will be entitled to instruct the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank to vote the JBS S.A. Common Shares underlying your JBS S.A. ADSs at the JBS S.A. General Meeting.

May I vote at the JBS S.A. General Meeting?

If you hold JBS S.A. Common Shares on the day of the JBS S.A. General Meeting, you may vote at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, provided that you properly register to attend the JBS S.A. General Meeting. For more information, see “ –May I attend the JBS S.A. General Meeting?” above.

If you are a JBS S.A. ADS Holder on the ADS Voting Record Date, you may not participate directly in the JBS S.A. General Meeting, but you will be entitled to instruct the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank to vote the JBS S.A. Common Shares underlying your JBS S.A. ADSs at the JBS S.A. General Meeting. This means that if you become a JBS S.A. ADS Holder subsequent to the ADS Voting Record Date, which will be prior to the JBS S.A. General Meeting, you will not be entitled to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at the JBS S.A. General Meeting. You will be required to provide voting instructions to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank

 

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several business days prior to the JBS S.A. General Meeting. If you hold JBS S.A. ADSs as of the ADS Voting Record Date, you will receive the documents and instructions for voting your JBS S.A. ADSs from the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank or the broker or other securities intermediary through which you hold the JBS S.A. ADSs in due course. If you do not timely provide the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank or relevant broker or securities intermediary with voting instructions, the JBS S.A. Common Shares underlying your JBS S.A. ADSs will not be counted to establish a quorum to open the JBS S.A. General Meeting, voted in respect of the proposed resolutions, or taken into account in calculating whether the requisite majority required to approve the proposed resolutions. You may also vote at the JBS S.A. General Meeting if you surrender your JBS S.A. ADSs in accordance with the provisions of the JBS S.A. ADS Deposit Agreement and receive the underlying JBS S.A. Common Shares prior to the date of the JBS S.A. General Meeting. See “The Proposed Transaction—JBS S.A. ADS Holders” for additional information regarding the treatment of JBS S.A. ADS Holders in the Proposed Transaction.

How can I attend and vote on the JBS S.A. General Meeting?

JBS S.A. will convene the JBS S.A. General Meeting by publishing a notice in a major Brazilian newspaper (Valor Econômico). The first call notice must be published not less than three times, beginning at least 30 calendar days prior to the JBS S.A. General Meeting date. On the second call, the notice must be published not less than three times, beginning at least eight calendar days prior to the JBS S.A. General Meeting date.

Shareholders may attend the JBS S.A. General Meeting: (1) in person, if an individual; (2) by its legal representatives, if a legal entity (company or investment fund); or (3) by proxy, provided the shareholder complies with the applicable rules. For more information, see “JBS S.A. General Meeting—Manner of Voting.”

The documents necessary for participating in the JBS S.A. General Meeting may be sent to JBS S.A. prior to the date for which the meeting was called in order for JBS S.A. to evaluate the request and grant access to the JBS S.A. General Meeting to the shareholder, if that is the case. The documents necessary for participating in the JBS S.A. General Meeting will be available at JBS S.A. Investor Relations website (https://ri.jbs.com.br/en/) and will also be disclosed to the market 30 days prior to the date of the JBS S.A. General Meeting. The information included on our website or that might be accessed through our website is not included in this prospectus or the registration statement and is not incorporated into this prospectus or the registration statement by reference.

If you are a JBS S.A. ADS Holder on the ADS Voting Record Date, you may not participate directly in the JBS S.A. General Meeting, but you will be entitled to instruct the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank to vote the JBS S.A. Common Shares underlying your JBS S.A. ADSs. If you hold JBS S.A. ADSs as of the ADS Voting Record Date, you will receive the documents and instructions for voting your JBS S.A. ADSs from the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank or the broker or other securities intermediary through which you hold the JBS S.A. ADSs in due course. See “The Proposed Transaction—JBS S.A. ADS Holders” for additional information regarding the treatment of JBS S.A. ADS Holders in the Proposed Transaction.

Each JBS S.A. Common Share will be entitled to one vote, and each JBS S.A. ADS will be entitled to two votes at the JBS S.A. General Meeting (based on the ratio of two JBS S.A. Common Shares per JBS S.A. ADS).

As a JBS S.A. ADS Holder, may I change my voting instructions after delivering my voting instruction or withdraw my voting instruction?

Yes. As a JBS S.A. ADS Holder, you may change your voting instructions by sending a superseding voting instruction card to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank or by giving a superseding voting instruction to your broker or other securities intermediary, as applicable, to be received before the applicable cut-off date and time.

What happens if I do not vote?

If you are a JBS S.A. Shareholder or JBS S.A. ADS Holder and you do not vote, you will receive the same treatment as the other JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders. If the Proposed Transaction is not approved at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, you will continue to hold your JBS S.A. Common Shares and/or JBS S.A. ADSs.

 

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Does the board of directors of JBS S.A. recommend the Proposed Transaction?

On     , 2024, the board of directors of JBS S.A. approved convening the JBS S.A. General Meeting that will decide on the Proposed Transaction and recommended its approval.

What is this document and why am I receiving it?

This document is a prospectus of JBS N.V. relating to the JBS N.V. BDRs that will be issued as the consideration upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares underlying the JBS N.V. BDRs and the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares into which JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may be converted during the Class A Conversion Period. It also informs JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders of the upcoming JBS S.A. General Meeting at which JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders will vote on, among other things, the Merger of Shares, the Delisting and the Cash Dividend, and provides details of the consideration JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders will receive upon completion of the Proposed Transaction. You should carefully review this prospectus, because, as a JBS S.A. Shareholder or JBS S.A. ADS Holder, you will be entitled to vote at the JBS S.A. General Meeting that will be called in order for JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders (through the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) to approve the Merger of Shares, among other matters.

Questions and Answers about JBS N.V. and the Conversion

Who is JBS N.V.?

JBS B.V. is a private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) under Dutch law, with its corporate seat (statutaire zetel) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Prior to the Closing Date, JBS B.V. will be converted into a public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) under Dutch law, with the name “JBS N.V.” As of the date of this prospectus, the issuer is a wholly-owned subsidiary of LuxCo and holds, through Brazil Holdco, 24.79% of the JBS S.A. Common Shares. Prior to the completion of the Proposed Transaction, J&F intends to transfer the remainder of its JBS S.A. Common Shares to Brazil Holdco and to transfer the corresponding shares issued by Brazil Holdco to LuxCo for further transfer to JBS N.V., as a result of which the issuer will indirectly hold all of the shares of JBS S.A. that are currently indirectly held by our ultimate controlling shareholders. As further described in this prospectus, the JBS Group proposes that all remaining JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders become shareholders of JBS N.V.

As the first step in the Corporate Restructuring, prior to the Closing Date, JBS N.V. will, through a series of transactions, become the indirect controlling shareholder of JBS S.A. J&F and FIP Formosa have entered into a binding and unconditional agreement with JBS N.V., Brazil HoldCo and LuxCo pursuant to which the parties agreed that the Controlling Shareholder Contributions will occur in two phases: (A) in the first phase: (1) J&F will contribute and transfer a portion of its JBS S.A. Common Shares (or 369,918,510 JBS S.A. Common Shares), and FIP Formosa will contribute and transfer all of its JBS S.A. Common Shares (or 180,010,329 JBS S.A. Common Shares) to Brazil HoldCo in exchange for newly-issued shares of Brazil HoldCo; (2) immediately thereafter, J&F and FIP Formosa will contribute and transfer all such shares of Brazil HoldCo to LuxCo; and (3) immediately thereafter, LuxCo will contribute and transfer all such shares of Brazil HoldCo to JBS N.V.; and (B) in the second phase, after approval at the JBS S.A. General Meeting of the Merger of Shares and approval at the Brazil HoldCo General Meeting of the Redemption (1) J&F will contribute and transfer all of its remaining JBS S.A. Common Shares to LuxCo; (2) immediately thereafter, LuxCo will contribute and transfer all such JBS S.A. Common Shares to JBS N.V.; and (3) immediately thereafter, JBS N.V. will contribute and transfer all such JBS S.A. Common Shares to Brazil HoldCo. Following the completion of the Controlling Shareholder Contributions and immediately prior to the second step described below, we expect that LuxCo will hold 241,969,477 JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and 295,740,472 JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares. The first phase of the Controlling Shareholder Contributions occurred on December 22, 2023, as a result of which, as of the date of this prospectus, J&F and Brazil HoldCo are the direct controlling shareholders of JBS S.A. J&F indirectly owns 100% of the total capital stock of Brazil HoldCo, and Messrs. Joesley Mendonça Batista and

 

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Wesley Mendonça Batista indirectly own 100% of the capital stock of J&F and share voting and investment powers and the right to receive the economic benefit of the shares held by J&F. The parties have agreed that the second phase of the Controlling Shareholder Contributions shall be completed only after approval at the JBS S.A. General Meeting of the Merger of Shares and approval at the Brazil HoldCo General Meeting of the Redemption. Once the second phase of the Controlling Shareholder Contributions is completed, JBS N.V. will, through Brazil HoldCo, indirectly hold the JBS S.A. Common Shares that are currently held directly by J&F. Accordingly, JBS N.V. will become the indirect controlling shareholder of JBS S.A. This step has been and will be subject to the same exchange ratio of one JBS N.V. Common Share for every two JBS S.A. Common Shares that will be applied to JBS S.A.’s non-controlling shareholders pursuant to the Merger of Shares and Redemption, which will result in each JBS S.A. Shareholder on the Last Trading Day and each JBS S.A. ADS Holder who surrenders their JBS S.A. ADSs after the Closing Date receiving the same economic interest in the total capital of JBS N.V. as such JBS S.A. Shareholder or JBS S.A. ADS Holder had in JBS S.A., except for the effect of the sale of any fractional JBS N.V. BDRs attributed to JBS S.A. Shareholders resulting from the Merger of Shares and the Redemption and the issuance or transfer of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to certain members of senior management as a performance bonus for the successful completion of the Proposed Transaction, as further described under “Management—Compensation of Executive Officers and Directors.” However, since the capital structure of JBS N.V. will differ from that of JBS S.A. as a result of the dual-class structure of JBS N.V., the voting power of our ultimate controlling shareholders (held indirectly, through LuxCo) may increase substantially in relation to our non-controlling shareholders as a result of the aforementioned steps, depending on the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period.

The second and final step in the Corporate Restructuring, as further described in this prospectus, is to effect a Merger of Shares under which every two JBS S.A. Common Shares that are not held by Brazil HoldCo (including by the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) will be automatically contributed into Brazil HoldCo in exchange for one newly issued mandatorily redeemable preferred share of Brazil HoldCo. Each JBS S.A. Shareholder (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) will receive Brazil HoldCo shares that are mandatorily redeemable for JBS N.V. BDRs, i.e., the Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares. Immediately following the Merger of Shares, Brazil HoldCo will redeem all of the Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares and deliver to each holder thereof (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank) JBS N.V. BDRs. As a result of this step, JBS S.A. Shareholders on the Last Trading Day and JBS S.A. ADS Holders who surrender their JBS S.A. ADSs after the Closing Date will become shareholders of JBS N.V., and Brazil HoldCo will hold 100% of the JBS S.A. Common Shares.

Immediately prior to the Closing Date, JBS N.V. will not own any material assets other than shares of Brazil HoldCo, and Brazil HoldCo will not hold any material assets other than the shares of JBS S.A. formerly directly held by J&F and FIP Formosa. Neither JBS N.V. nor Brazil HoldCo will have any material liability or contingency. Therefore, the business of JBS N.V. and its consolidated subsidiaries following the completion of the Proposed Transaction will be the same as the business of JBS S.A. and its consolidated subsidiaries immediately prior to the Proposed Transaction.

Who will be the shareholders of JBS N.V. after completion of the Proposed Transaction?

If the Proposed Transaction is concluded, the shareholders of JBS S.A. as of the Last Trading Day and holders of JBS S.A. ADSs who surrender their JBS S.A. ADSs after the Closing Date will become shareholders of JBS N.V. Assuming the ownership structure of JBS S.A. on the Last Trading Day is the same as on March 15, 2024, immediately upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, our ultimate controlling shareholders will (indirectly, through LuxCo) hold 100% of the then-outstanding JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares and 29.75% of the then-outstanding JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, representing 84.85% of the aggregate voting power in JBS N.V, which will represent an increase in their aggregate voting power from the 48.48% voting power in JBS S.A. they held as of March 15, 2024. Following the completion of the Proposed Transaction, and except for any future issuances of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, this voting power will be reduced only if and to the extent that holders of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares successfully request conversions of their JBS N.V.

 

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Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period and do not reconvert into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares thereafter. Moreover, this voting power will be increased to 90.40% to the extent that our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) successfully request conversions of all their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period, Eligible Shareholders do not request such conversion and our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) do not reconvert into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares thereafter and no new shares of JBS N.V. are issued. Following the Class A Conversion Period (and assuming no new shares of JBS N.V. are issued during this period), our ultimate controlling shareholders will (indirectly, through LuxCo) hold between 46.26% and 90.40% of the aggregate voting power in JBS N.V. For more information, see “Principal Shareholders.”

Will I have voting rights as a holder of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs?

Yes, each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share (including JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held as JBS N.V. BDRs) is entitled to one vote at a general meeting of shareholders of JBS N.V. Our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) will own JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, and each JBS N.V. Class B Common Share is entitled to 10 votes at a general meeting of shareholders of JBS N.V. See “Description of Share Capital.” The procedure for voting if you hold JBS N.V. BDRs may be different. For more information, see “Description of JBS N.V. BDRs and Deposit Agreement.”

Will I have the right to receive dividends, as a holder of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs?

Yes. Each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share (including JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held as JBS N.V. BDRs) and JBS N.V. Class B Common Share is entitled to receive dividends, if and when resolved upon by the general meeting of shareholders of JBS N.V. and subject to the capital requirements imposed by Dutch law. A holder of a JBS N.V. Class A Common Share (including JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held as JBS N.V. BDRs) is entitled to receive the same amount of dividends per share as a holder of a JBS N.V. Class B Common Share. For further information on dividends, see “Per Share, Dividend and Market Data—Historical Dividend Data.”

What are the differences between JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares?

Each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share is entitled to one vote per share and each JBS N.V. Class B Common Share is entitled to 10 votes per share at a general meeting of shareholders of JBS N.V.

JBS N.V. intends to apply to list the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the NYSE. JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares will not be listed on any exchange and, pursuant to JBS N.V.’s articles of association, each JBS N.V. Class B Common Share may be converted into one JBS N.V. Class A Common Share and one JBS N.V. Conversion Share upon (i) a resolution by the board of directors following delivery of a conversion request to the board of directors, or (ii) automatically upon the enforcement of a security interest over such JBS N.V. Class B Common Share (including, but not limited to, a right of pledge), which results in a transfer of such JBS N.V. Class B Common Share.

The rights of the two classes of JBS N.V Common Shares are otherwise identical. See “Description of Share Capital.”

Can I convert my JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares?

Except during the Class A Conversion Period, holders of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares will not be able to request to convert their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares.

 

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During the Class A Conversion Period, if you are an Eligible Shareholder, you may request, after receiving the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (having, if needed, first cancelled its relevant JBS N.V. BDRs), to convert all or a portion of your JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, at a ratio of one JBS N.V. Class B Common Share for each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share held. The maximum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares which an Eligible Shareholder may request to convert into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, which we refer to as the Maximum Convertible Shares, equals, in the case of a former JBS S.A. Shareholder, the number of JBS N.V. BDRs to which such Eligible Shareholder is entitled at the opening of trading of the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 on the Conversion Record Date (not including any fractional JBS N.V. BDRs received as part of the Proposed Transaction) and, in the case of a former JBS S.A. ADS Holder, the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that such Eligible Shareholder is entitled to receive from the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank in connection with the Proposed Transaction.

Except with respect to conversion requests submitted during the Last Conversion Quarter, the maximum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by an Eligible Shareholder that may be converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares will be limited to the Maximum Conversion Rate of 55% of such Eligible Shareholder’s Maximum Convertible Shares. During the Class A Conversion Period, our board of directors will resolve on any conversion requests within 15 business days after the end of each fiscal quarter for any such requests received from Eligible Shareholders during such quarter, provided such requests are deemed satisfactory to the board of directors. With respect to the Last Conversion Quarter (i.e., the fourth quarter of 2026), the Maximum Conversion Rate will not apply, but if the aggregate number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in respect of which our board of directors has received one or more conversion requests during the entire Class A Conversion Period which it deems satisfactory would, if all JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which such conversion request(s) pertain(s) would be converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, cause the JBS N.V. Free Float Percentage on December 31, 2026 to fall below the Minimum Free Float of 20%, the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which each such conversion request received during the Last Conversion Quarter pertains shall be reduced on a pro rata basis so that the aggregate number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares does not result in the JBS N.V. Free Float Percentage on December 31, 2026 to fall below the Minimum Free Float. The Maximum Conversion Rate and the Minimum Free Float are intended to maintain a minimum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares outstanding in order to improve the liquidity of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that will trade on the NYSE.

In addition, during the Class A Conversion Period, our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) may request to convert all or a portion of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by LuxCo at 10 a.m. São Paulo time on the Conversion Record Date into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares at the same ratio of one JBS N.V. Class B Common Share for each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share held. The maximum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares which LuxCo may request to convert into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares equals the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by LuxCo at 10 a.m. São Paulo time on the Conversion Record Date. For the avoidance of doubt, the Maximum Conversion Rate and the Minimum Free Float will not be applicable to conversion requests made by LuxCo, which will be entitled at any time during the Class A Conversion Period to request to convert all or a portion of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by it on the Conversion Record Date into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, since the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by LuxCo will be subject to transfer restrictions and may be excluded from the calculation of “publicly-held shares” under the NYSE’s listing requirements for so long as LuxCo is considered an “affiliate” of JBS N.V., as that term is generally interpreted for U.S. federal securities law purposes. Any and all JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares not converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares by the Eligible Shareholders and/or LuxCo during the Class A Conversion Period will be retained as such by such Eligible Shareholder and/or LuxCo, as the case may be. Following the end of each fiscal quarter, JBS N.V. will disclose to the market the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that were converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares pursuant to the procedures described above.

If you are an Eligible Shareholder who wishes to exercise your right to convert your JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, you will be required to follow certain procedures as

 

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described in “The Proposed Transaction—Class A Conversion Period,” including providing a conversion notice and supporting documentation. In addition, in order to convert your JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, you must first cancel the JBS N.V. BDRs you received in connection with the Proposed Transaction and receive the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares. See “The Proposed Transaction—Receiving JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares.” These procedures may be cumbersome and time consuming and hinder your ability to timely request a conversion during the Class A Conversion Period. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the Proposed Transaction, the JBS N.V. Common Shares and the JBS N.V. BDRs—You may experience delays or be unable to timely request the conversion of your JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period.”

Following the Class A Conversion Period, JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares will no longer be convertible into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, but JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares will remain convertible into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and JBS N.V. Conversion Shares upon (i) a resolution by the board of directors following delivery of a conversion request to the board of directors, or (ii) automatically upon the enforcement of a security interest over such JBS N.V. Class B Common Share (including, but not limited to, a right of pledge), which results in a transfer of such JBS N.V. Class B Common Share. The JBS N.V. Conversion Shares are introduced to facilitate a 1:1 conversion of JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares under Dutch law. For more information, see “Description of Share Capital—Conversion.”

Who may request to convert JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period?

Only our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) and Eligible Shareholders may request to convert JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period.

You are an Eligible Shareholder if you are entitled to one or more JBS N.V. BDRs at the opening of trading on the Conversion Record Date. The maximum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares which an Eligible Shareholder may request, after receiving the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (having, if needed, first cancelled its relevant JBS N.V. BDRs), to convert into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares equals, in the case of a former JBS S.A. Shareholder, the number of JBS N.V. BDRs to which such Eligible Shareholder is entitled at the opening of trading of the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 on the Conversion Record Date (not including any fractional JBS N.V. BDRs received as part of the Proposed Transaction) and, in the case of a former JBS S.A. ADS Holder, the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that such Eligible Shareholder is entitled to receive from the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank in connection with the Proposed Transaction.

The maximum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares which LuxCo may request to convert into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares equals the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by LuxCo on the Conversion Record Date.

If I purchase JBS N.V. BDRs or JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares following the Conversion Record Date, will I be entitled to convert my JBS N.V. BDRs or JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares?

If you purchase JBS N.V. BDRs after opening of trading on the Conversion Record Date, you will be able to request the cancellation of all or a portion of your JBS N.V. BDRs and receive the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares by: (1) instructing your broker or custodian operating in Brazil to cancel your JBS N.V. BDRs with the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank; and (2) delivering evidence that all fees and potential taxes due in connection with this service were duly paid, as set forth in the JBS N.V. BDR Deposit Agreement. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction—Receiving JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares.” However, you will not be eligible to convert your additional JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares as the maximum number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares for which you may request a conversion

 

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into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares is equal to the number of JBS N.V. BDRs to which you were entitled at the opening of trading on the Conversion Record Date. Similarly, if you purchase JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares after the Conversion Record Date, you will not be eligible to convert such JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares.

Will I have to incur any costs to convert my JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares?

If you are an Eligible Shareholder and choose to convert all or a portion of your JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, you will have to incur the costs of cancelling your JBS N.V. BDRs in order to receive the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and complying with the conversion procedures established in our articles of association, including delivery of a Class A Conversion Request to our board of directors. You will not, however, be required to pay up the difference between the aggregate nominal value of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which your Class A Conversion Request pertains and the aggregate nominal value of the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares into which your JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares are converted. Our board of directors will resolve to pay up such amount at the charge of the general share premium reserve maintained by JBS N.V. See “The Proposed Transaction—Class A Conversion Period.”

May I withdraw my request to convert my JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares?

No. Once you have sent your Class A Conversion Request to our board of directors, you will not be able to rescind such request. If you wish to receive JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares after having submitted a Class A Conversion Request, you must wait until your JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares are converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares and follow the procedures to convert your JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares back into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares pursuant to the procedures established in our articles of association. See “Description of Share Capital—Conversion—Class B Common Shares into Class A Common Shares.”

After I submit my request to convert my JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, may I transfer my JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares?

No. Once you have sent your Class A Conversion Request to our board of directors, you will be subject to your undertaking not to transfer the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which the Class A Conversion Request pertains. This restriction continues until (and including) the day on which the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which the Class A Conversion Request pertains are converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares. See “Description of Share Capital—Conversion—Class A Common Shares into Class B Common Shares.”

What are the differences between the rights of JBS S.A. Shareholders (including JBS S.A. ADS Holders) and holders of JBS N.V. Common Shares?

Rights of shareholders of JBS N.V. and rights of JBS S.A. Shareholders (including JBS S.A. ADS Holders) may be significantly different. While JBS S.A. is a Brazilian corporation listed on B3, and subject to Brazilian Corporation Law, CVM regulation and B3 Novo Mercado listing rules, JBS N.V. is a Dutch company, subject to Dutch law, including the Dutch Civil Code, SEC regulation and NYSE listing rules. For a summary of the material differences between the rights of JBS S.A. Shareholders (including JBS S.A. ADS Holders) and JBS N.V. shareholders, see “Comparison of the Rights of Holders of JBS N.V. Shares and JBS S.A. Common Shares.”

Additionally, in connection with the listing of JBS N.V. BDRs, JBS N.V. expects to apply to have its BDRs classified as Level II BDRs pursuant to Brazilian regulation, in which case JBS N.V. will be required to obtain a registration as a foreign issuer in Brazil before the CVM and, consequently, comply with certain disclosure requirements set forth in the Brazilian regulation, including annually filing a formulário de referência (a document which contains financial, legal and operating information about the filer), providing quarterly financial information and certain periodical filings disclosing material events.

 

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Questions and Answers about Other Issues

Can I sell my JBS S.A. Common Shares after the JBS S.A. General Meeting?

Subject to the observance of applicable legal requirements, JBS S.A. Common Shares will continue to be listed on B3 and be eligible for trading over B3 under their existing ticker symbol until the Last Trading Day.

Will I have to pay any brokerage commission in connection with the Proposed Transaction?

You will not have to pay brokerage commissions if your JBS S.A. Common Shares are registered in your name. If your JBS S.A. Common Shares are held through a bank or broker or a custodian linked to a stock exchange, you should consult with them as to whether or not they charge any transaction fee or service charges in connection with the Merger of Shares or the other elements of the Proposed Transaction.

What are the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Proposed Transaction to JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders?

The Merger of Shares and Redemption, when taken together with certain other steps of the Corporate Restructuring, including the LuxCo transfer of shares of JBS S.A. to JBS N.V., are expected to be treated as part of an integrated transaction qualifying as a nonrecognition transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If the Merger of Shares and Redemption qualify as a nonrecognition transaction, then U.S. Holders will not recognize any gain or loss with respect to the exchange of their JBS S.A. Common Shares for the Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares or the redemption of the Brazil HoldCo Redeemable Shares for JBS N.V. BDRs in the Proposed Transaction. This tax treatment, however, is not free from doubt and the IRS could disagree with this treatment.

If the Merger of Shares and Redemption do not qualify as a nonrecognition transaction, and therefore are a fully taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a U.S. holder of JBS S.A. Common Shares or JBS S.A. ADSs generally would recognize taxable gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of any JBS. N.V. BDRs or JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares received on the date of exchange and its tax basis in the JBS S.A. Common Shares or JBS S.A. ADSs exchanged, in each case determined in U.S. dollars.

We expect that the Cash Dividend will be reported to U.S. Holders as a dividend taxable at ordinary income rates.

You should read the section entitled “Taxation—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” for more information on the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Proposed Transaction and you should consult your own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of the Proposed Transaction in your particular circumstances.

What are the Brazilian income tax consequences of the Proposed Transaction to JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders?

The Merger of Shares (incorporação de ações) of JBS S.A. Common Shares into Brazil HoldCo and the subsequent Redemption may trigger the recognition of gains subject to taxation in Brazil. The tax rates applicable to these gains would depend on the type, domicile and regime of the corresponding holder. You should read the section entitled “Taxation—Material Brazilian Tax Consequences” for more information on the Brazil income tax consequences of the Proposed Transaction. This section also describes the income tax treatment applicable to dividends or other similar income arising from JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and JBS N.V. BDRs earned by Brazilian holders, which may be subject to income tax in accordance with the applicable regime for investments held outside Brazil. Such rules are different from the rules applicable to direct investments in a Brazilian company (such as JBS S.A.) and do not provide for certain benefits such as the tax exemption on the distribution of dividends currently in force.

 

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You should consult your own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of the Proposed Transaction in your particular circumstances.

What are the Dutch tax consequences of the Proposed Transaction to JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders?

The Dutch tax consequences of the Proposed Transaction for a JBS S.A. Shareholder or JBS S.A. ADS Holder will depend in part on such holder’s circumstances. For JBS S.A. Shareholders and JBS S.A. ADS Holders that are not a tax resident of the Netherlands, save in the circumstances as described in section “Taxation—Material Dutch Tax Consequences,” the Merger of Shares of JBS S.A. Common Shares into Brazil HoldCo and the subsequent Redemption should generally not trigger recognition of gains that are taxable in the Netherlands. In any event, a holder is urged to consult his own tax advisor for a full understanding of the tax consequences of the Proposed Transaction, including the applicability and effect of Dutch tax laws.

Are there risks associated with the Proposed Transaction?

Yes. There are a number of risks related to the Proposed Transaction that are discussed in this prospectus. In evaluating the Proposed Transaction, before making any decision on whether and how to vote, you are urged to read carefully and in its entirety this prospectus, in particular the section entitled “Risk Factors.”

Who can help answer my questions?

The information provided above in the question-and-answer format is for your convenience only and is merely a summary of some of the information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. You should read carefully the entire prospectus, including the information in the exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”

If you have any questions about the Proposed Transaction, please contact JBS S.A.’s investor relations office by phone at (+55 11) 3144-4146 and by e-mail at ri@jbs.com.br.

 

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RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all of the other information included in this prospectus, before making an investment decision. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by any of these risks or uncertainties. In that case, the trading prices of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and the JBS N.V. BDRs could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. The risks described below are those that we currently believe may materially affect us. Additional risks not presently known to us, or that we currently consider immaterial, may also materially adversely affect us.

For purposes of this section, when we state that a risk, uncertainty or problem may, could or will have an “adverse effect” on us or “adversely affect” us, we mean that the risk, uncertainty or problem could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and/or prospects, and/or the price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and the JBS N.V. BDRs, except as otherwise indicated. You should view similar expressions in this section as having similar meaning.

Risks Relating to the Proposed Transaction, the JBS N.V. Common Shares and the JBS N.V. BDRs

The dual class structure of the JBS N.V. Common Shares has the effect of concentrating voting control with our Class B shareholders and limiting our other shareholders’ ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may view as beneficial.

JBS N.V.’s share capital consists of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares and JBS N.V. Conversion Shares. The JBS N.V. Conversion Shares are introduced solely for the purpose of facilitating a conversion of JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares under Dutch law. For more information, see “Description of Share Capital — Share Capital.” Please also refer to the risk factors below entitled “—Our shareholders are not subject to lock-up restrictions and may sell JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs at any time, subject to applicable law,” “—The difference in the voting rights of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares may harm the value and liquidity of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares” and “—We may issue additional JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares in the future, which may dilute your interest in JBS N.V.’s share capital and affect the trading price of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or JBS N.V. BDRs.”

JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares are entitled to 10 votes per share and JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares are entitled to one vote per share at a general meeting of shareholders of JBS N.V. We intend to maintain this dual-class structure for the foreseeable future and have not included a ‘sunset’ provision in JBS N.V.’s articles of association, meaning that under JBS N.V.’s articles of association as these will read on the Closing Date, JBS N.V.’s share capital will include JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares for an indefinite period of time.

Assuming the ownership structure of JBS S.A. on the Last Trading Day is the same as on March 15, 2024, immediately upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, our ultimate controlling shareholders will (indirectly, through LuxCo) hold 100% of the then-outstanding JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares and 29.75% of the then-outstanding JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, representing 84.85% of the aggregate voting power in JBS N.V., which will represent an increase in their aggregate voting power from the 48.48% voting power in JBS S.A. they held as of March 15, 2024. Following the completion of the Proposed Transaction, and except for any future issuances of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, this voting power will be reduced only if and to the extent that holders of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares successfully request conversions of their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period and do not reconvert into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares thereafter. Moreover, this voting power will be increased to 90.40% to the extent that our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) successfully request conversions of all their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A

 

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Conversion Period, Eligible Shareholders do not request such conversion and our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) do not reconvert into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares thereafter and no new shares of JBS N.V. are issued. Following the Class A Conversion Period (and assuming no new shares of JBS N.V. are issued during this period), our ultimate controlling shareholders will (indirectly, through LuxCo) hold between 46.26% and 90.40% of the aggregate voting power in JBS N.V. In contrast, the aggregate voting power of our non-controlling shareholders may decrease to as little as 9.60% from the 53.74% voting power in JBS S.A. they held as of March 15, 2024. The exact percentage of the then-outstanding JBS N.V. Shares and aggregate voting power in JBS N.V. that will be held (indirectly) by our controlling and non-controlling shareholders upon completion of the Proposed Transaction and the Conversion will depend on the percentage of JBS S.A. Common Shares that they hold on the Last Trading Day, the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that are converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period and reconverted into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, and any additional issuances of JBS N.V. Common Shares after the Proposed Transaction. Upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, to continue to control the outcome of matters submitted to shareholders for approval (assuming a simple majority is needed to approve such matters), our ultimate controlling shareholders must directly or indirectly hold approximately 9% of the total number of JBS N.V. Common Shares outstanding (assuming they directly or indirectly hold 100% of the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares outstanding).

As a result of the dual-class share structure, our ultimate controlling shareholders are expected to have control or the ability to control significant corporate activities that require a resolution by shareholders at a general meeting of shareholders pursuant to Dutch law and/or JBS N.V.’s articles of association, including:

 

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the election, suspension and removal of our board of directors;

 

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merger, demerger or dissolution of JBS N.V.;

 

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issuances of JBS N.V. Common Shares or designating the board of directors to issue shares for a specific period not exceeding five years, provided that the prior or simultaneous approval of the group of holders of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares is required if such resolution to issue shares or designate the board of directors is detrimental to the rights of the holders of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares;

 

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limiting or excluding pre-emptive rights upon an issue of JBS N.V. Common Shares or designating the board of directors to limit or exclude pre-emptive rights for a specific period not exceeding five years;

 

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reducing our issued capital by: (1) reducing the nominal value of shares by amending JBS N.V.’s articles of association; or (2) by cancelling shares which JBS N.V. holds in treasury, provided that the prior or simultaneous approval of a group of holders of a specific class of common shares is required if such resolution is detrimental to the rights of the holders of such class of common shares;

 

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approving resolutions of our board of directors regarding (a) a significant change in the identity or nature of JBS N.V. or the enterprise, including: (1) the transfer of the enterprise or practically the entire enterprise to a third party; (2) the conclusion or cancellation of any long-lasting cooperation by JBS N.V. or a subsidiary with any other legal person or as a fully liable general partner of a limited partnership or a general partnership, provided that such cooperation or the cancellation thereof is of essential importance to JBS N.V.; and (3) the acquisition or disposal of a participating interest in the capital of a company with a value of at least one-third of the sum of the assets according to the consolidated balance sheet with explanatory notes thereto according to the last adopted annual accounts of JBS N.V., by JBS N.V. or a subsidiary, (b) JBS N.V. entering into a contract, agreement or other instrument, which stipulates that a unilateral and unconditional termination of such contract, agreement or other instrument is subject to (1) a termination notice of at least ninety (90) days, and/or (2) the payment of a penalty, including, but not limited to, fines and take or pay arrangements, (c) JBS N.V. selling uncovered put options and/or call options (i.e. without JBS N.V. holding the asset(s) underlying the option), and (d) the board of directors exercising voting rights with respect to shares held by JBS N.V. in the capital of a subsidiary in respect of such subsidiary entering into a contract, agreement or

 

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other instrument, which stipulates that a unilateral and unconditional termination of such contract, agreement or other instrument is subject to (1) a termination notice of at least ninety (90) days, and/or (2) the payment of a penalty, including, but not limited to, fines and take or pay arrangements;

 

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amending JBS N.V.’s articles of association;

 

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distribution of profits which remain after reservation by the board of directors; and

 

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authorizing the board of directors, on JBS N.V.’s behalf, to repurchase shares in the capital of JBS N.V. against consideration, for a specific period not exceeding 18 months.

The foregoing means that, depending on the number of JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares outstanding, a holder of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may have no or no significant voting power at a general meeting of shareholders of JBS N.V.

Consequently, upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, our Class B shareholders will continue to be in a position to exert significant influence over JBS N.V. The interests of our Class B shareholders may differ from the interest of our other shareholders. This concentration of ownership may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of JBS N.V., including transactions in which holders of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares might otherwise receive a premium for their shares. In addition, this concentrated control will limit the ability of holders of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to influence corporate matters that they may view as beneficial. This effect will be exacerbated as a result of the dilution of voting power our non-controlling shareholders will experience as a result of the Proposed Transaction. Moreover, our dual-class structure could materially adversely affect the value and liquidity of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or the JBS N.V. BDRs, for the reasons described above and as further described in the risk factor below entitled “—The difference in the voting rights of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares may harm the value and liquidity of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares.”

Our shareholders will not be subject to lock-up restrictions and may sell JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs at any time, subject to applicable law.

Our shareholders will not be subject to any lock-up obligation. If our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) or other major shareholders sell a large number of their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs, the market price of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs may decline significantly. In addition, to the extent that any JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or JBS N.V Class B Common Shares may be pledged to lenders in support of any financing made to our shareholders, such a pledge could be exercised in the event of a default under such financing and such lender may sell the pledged shares in the market. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, might also make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.

In addition, although the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares are not and are not expected to be listed on a stock exchange, a holder of JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares may transfer all or substantially all of the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares held by it, which may result in a change of the composition of our controlling shareholders. Any such change, or the possibility that such change may occur, could materially adversely affect the value and liquidity of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs.

Furthermore, each JBS N.V. Class B Common Share may be converted into one JBS N.V. Class A Common Share and one JBS N.V. Conversion Share upon (i) a resolution by the board of directors following delivery of a conversion request to the board of directors, or (ii) automatically upon the enforcement of a security interest over such JBS N.V. Class B Common Share (including, but not limited to, a right of pledge), which results in a transfer of such JBS N.V. Class B Common Share.

If holders of JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares exercise the right to convert their JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and sell a large number of their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, the market price of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may decline significantly.

 

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The grant of registration rights to LuxCo may adversely affect the market price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares.

Pursuant to a registration rights agreement that is expected to be entered into with LuxCo concurrently with the closing of the Proposed Transaction, our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) will be able to demand that we register the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that LuxCo will receive in the first step of the Corporate Restructuring (including those JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares that LuxCo will hold if it exercises its right to convert the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares that it will receive in the first step of the Corporate Restructuring) and any other JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares acquired from JBS N.V. from time to time by LuxCo. Pursuant to the registration rights agreement, LuxCo shall also have the right to include its JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in any underwritten offering by JBS N.V. We will bear all expenses incurred in effecting such a registration. The registration and availability of such a significant number of shares for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (including those JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares underlying JBS N.V. BDRs). For example, if LuxCo exercises its registration rights and sells JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or is perceived by the market as intending to sell such shares, the market price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares could drop or the volatility in the share price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares could increase significantly. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to raise additional funds through future offerings of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or other securities. For more information about the LuxCo registration rights agreement, see “Principal Shareholders—Registration Rights Agreement with LuxCo.”

There is no existing market for JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs, and we do not know whether one will develop to provide you with adequate liquidity. If the trading price of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs fluctuates after completion of the Proposed Transaction, you could lose a significant part of your investment.

Prior to the Proposed Transaction, there has not been a public market for JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs. If active trading markets do not develop, you may have difficulty selling any of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs that you receive as part of the Proposed Transaction. We cannot predict the extent to which investor interest in us will lead to the development of an active trading market on the NYSE or the B3 or otherwise or how liquid that market might become.

As settlement of the Proposed Transaction will occur on B3, a holder of JBS N.V. BDRs that wants to receive JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares must cancel JBS N.V. BDRs so that the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares can be delivered to its indicated account. It is expected that a significant amount of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may be held through JBS N.V. BDRs, which may affect the liquidity and trading price of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the NYSE.

The opening price of the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 will be equivalent to the closing price of the JBS S.A. Common Shares on the Last Trading Day, as adjusted by the Exchange Ratio. We cannot assure you that the trading price for JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares will reflect the price of JBS S.A. Common Shares on B3 or that these prices will prevail in the market following the Proposed Transaction. The price of JBS S.A. Common Shares on B3 has been subject to volatility. The trading price of JBS S.A. Common Shares in 2023 reached a high for the year of R$25.04 per share on December 20, 2023 and a low of R$16.14 per share on May 12, 2023. The trading price of JBS S.A. Common Shares on March 15, 2024 was R$23.25 per share.

The listing of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the NYSE is a process that is not a traditional underwritten initial public offering. There will be no book building process and no price at which underwriters initially sell shares to the public to help inform efficient and sufficient price discovery with respect to the opening trades on the NYSE. We expect that the opening price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the NYSE will be determined by buy and sell orders collected by the NYSE from broker-dealers. Based on such orders, the designated market maker will determine an opening price for the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares. The

 

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absence of a predetermined initial public offering price could impact the range of buy and sell orders collected by the NYSE from various broker-dealers. Consequently, upon listing on the NYSE, the public trading price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may be more volatile than in a traditional underwritten initial public offering and could decline significantly and rapidly.

Further, because of our listing process, individual investors may have greater influence in setting the opening public trading price and subsequent public trading prices of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the NYSE and may participate more in our initial and subsequent trading, leading to an increased amount of smaller orders at numerous prices, for example, than is typical for a traditional underwritten initial public offering with more institutional investor influence. These factors could result in more volatility in the public trading price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and an unsustainable trading price if the price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares significantly rises upon listing and institutional investors believe the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares is worth less than retail investors, in which case the price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may decline over time. Further, if the public trading price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares is above the level that investors determine is reasonable for the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, some investors may attempt to short the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares after trading begins, which would create additional downward pressure on the public trading price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares. There will likely be more ability for such investors to short the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in early trading than is typical for a traditional underwritten public offering given increased availability of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the trading markets in part due to the lack of contractual lock-up agreements or other restrictions on transfer. To the extent that there is a lack of awareness among retail investors, such lack of awareness could reduce the value of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and cause volatility in the public trading price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares.

Moreover, due to the timing differences in the commencement of trading of the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 and JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the NYSE, investors will not be able to sell or otherwise trade shares on the NYSE during the period between the initial pricing and the commencement of the trading of the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 and the subsequent commencement of trading of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares on the NYSE, and will be subject to the risk that the trading prices of the JBS N.V. BDRs may fall before the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares commence trading on the NYSE.

In addition, the market price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or JBS N.V. BDRs may be influenced by many factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:

 

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announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts or acquisitions;

 

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technological innovations by us or competitors;

 

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the failure of financial analysts to cover JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs after the Proposed Transaction or changes in financial estimates by analysts;

 

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actual or anticipated variations in our results of operations;

 

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changes in financial estimates by financial analysts, or any failure by us to meet or exceed any of these estimates, or changes in the recommendations of any financial analysts that elect to follow JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, JBS N.V. BDRs or the shares of our competitors;

 

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announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts or acquisitions;

 

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adverse news relating to us and our business, our executives and key business partners or suppliers;

 

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future sales of our shares; and

 

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investor perceptions of us and the industries in which we operate.

Finally, the global stock market in general has experienced substantial price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of particular companies affected.

 

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These broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and JBS N.V. BDRs. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of certain companies’ securities, securities class action litigation has been instituted against these companies. This litigation, if instituted against us, could adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations. If a market does not develop or is not maintained, the liquidity and price of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and JBS N.V. BDRs could be seriously harmed.

The difference in the voting rights of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares may harm the value and liquidity of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares.

The difference in the voting rights of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares could harm the value of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to the extent that any investor or potential future purchaser of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares ascribes value to the right of holders of the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares to 10 votes per JBS N.V. Class B Common Share. The existence of two classes of common shares could also result in less liquidity for the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares than if there were only one class of common shares.

In addition, our dual-class structure may result in a lower or more volatile market price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and the JBS N.V. BDRs or in adverse publicity or other adverse consequences. For example, certain index providers have announced restrictions on including companies with multiple-class share structures in certain of their indexes. S&P Dow Jones and FTSE Russell have announced changes to their eligibility criteria for inclusion of shares of public companies on certain indices, including the S&P 500. These changes exclude companies with multiple classes of shares of common stock from being added to these indices. In addition, several stockholder advisory firms have announced their opposition to the use of dual-class structures. As a result, our dual-class structure may prevent the inclusion of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in these indices and may cause stockholder advisory firms to publish negative commentary about our corporate governance practices or otherwise seek to cause us to change our capital structure. Any such exclusion from indices could result in a less active trading market for the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or the JBS N.V. BDRs. Any actions or publications by stockholder advisory firms critical of our corporate governance practices or capital structure could also adversely affect the value of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or the JBS N.V. BDRs.

The conversion of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period may harm the liquidity of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares.

During the Class A Conversion Period, each Eligible Shareholder may request, after receiving the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares (having, if needed, first cancelled its relevant JBS N.V. BDRs), to convert all or a portion of such JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares at a ratio of one JBS N.V. Class B Common Share for each JBS N.V. Class A Common Share held, subject to the Minimum Free Float requirement. For more information, see “The Proposed Transaction—Class A Conversion Period.” Despite the Minimum Free Float requirement, if Eligible Shareholders exercise the right to convert their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, the liquidity of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may be significantly harmed.

If you request to convert JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, you will hold shares that do not trade on a market, and you may not be able to convert your JBS NV. Class B Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class A Shares in a timely manner.

We will not seek a listing for the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares on the NYSE or on any other exchange. If you are an Eligible Shareholder and validly request to have your JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Conversion Period, you will not hold a class of common shares that will trade on a liquid market.

 

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If you wish to convert your JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares you will need to comply with the procedures established in our articles of association. For example, you may need to deliver a conversion request to our board of directors. See “Description of Share Capital—Conversion” for more information. After delivering such conversion request, we cannot guarantee that your JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares will be converted into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in a timely manner or that the market price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares will not be different at the time of such conversion. As such, the price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may vary substantially between the time you request to convert your JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares and the time your JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares are converted into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares.

In addition, if you submit a request to convert JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, you will be subject to your undertaking not to transfer the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which the Class A Conversion Request pertains. For more information about the procedure for requesting a conversion of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period, see “The Proposed Transaction—Class A Conversion Period.”

Following the completion of the Proposed Transaction and the Class A Conversion Period, our ultimate controlling shareholders’ aggregate voting power in JBS N.V. may increase significantly.

Our ultimate controlling shareholders will, upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, own (indirectly, through LuxCo) 100% of the issued and outstanding JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares and 29.75% of the issued and outstanding JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, which will represent 84.85% of the aggregate voting power in JBS N.V. (assuming the ownership structure of JBS S.A. on the Last Trading Day is the same as on March 15, 2024), which will represent an increase in their aggregate voting power from the 48.48% voting power in JBS S.A. they held as of March 15, 2024. Following the completion of the Proposed Transaction, and except for any future issuances of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, our ultimate controlling shareholders’ voting power will be reduced only if and to the extent that holders of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares successfully request conversions of their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period and do not reconvert into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares thereafter. Moreover, this voting power will be increased to 90.40% to the extent that our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) successfully request conversions of all their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period, Eligible Shareholders do not request such conversion and our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) do not reconvert into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares thereafter and no new shares of JBS N.V. are issued. Following the Class A Conversion Period (and assuming no new shares of JBS N.V. are issued during this period), our ultimate controlling shareholders will (indirectly, through LuxCo) hold between 46.26% and 90.40% of the aggregate voting power in JBS N.V. See “—The dual class structure of the JBS N.V. Common Shares has the effect of concentrating voting control with our Class B shareholders and limiting our other shareholders’ ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may view as beneficial.”

We cannot estimate how many Eligible Shareholders will opt to request a conversion of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period or reconvert into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares thereafter. Eligible Shareholders must decide whether to request conversion of their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or reconvert into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares thereafter based on their individual preferences and circumstances, which we cannot predict. Certain legal entities may also be limited in their ability to hold JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares due to the fact that the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares will not be listed on the NYSE or on any other exchange.

 

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You may experience delays in the conversion of your JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares during the Class A Conversion Period.

The ability to convert JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares will be a one-time process open solely to our ultimate controlling shareholders and holders of one or more JBS N.V. BDRs at the opening of trading of the JBS N.V. BDRs on the B3 on the Conversion Record Date and for a limited period of time. If you are an Eligible Shareholder who wishes to exercise your right to convert your JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, you will be required to follow certain procedures as described in “The Proposed Transaction—Class A Conversion Period,” including providing a conversion request and supporting documentation. This request will require you to provide an undertaking to not transfer the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which such request pertains, from the date on which such request is provided to the board of directors until (and including) the day on which the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to which such request pertains are converted into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares. In addition, in order to convert your JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, you must first cancel the JBS N.V. BDRs you received in connection with the Proposed Transaction and receive the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares. These procedures may be cumbersome and time consuming and delay the conversion of your JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares and your ability to timely vote such shares. See “The Proposed Transaction—Receiving JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares.”

Our ultimate controlling shareholders (through LuxCo) and our non-controlling shareholders will be treated differently during the Class A Conversion Period.

Eligible Shareholders are subject to limitations on the number of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares they may convert during the Class A Conversion Period, whereas LuxCo is not subject to such limitations, with the effect of maintaining a specified minimum percentage of voting control by LuxCo. For more information about these limitations, see “The Proposed Transaction—Class A Conversion Period.” In the event that all Eligible Shareholders and LuxCo request to convert 100% of their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares, our ultimate controlling shareholders’ voting power will be increased from 48.48% to 59.55% due to the Minimum Free Float limitation applicable to Eligible Shareholders only. For more information about our corporate structure immediately following the Class A Conversion Period considering various conversion scenarios, see “The Proposed Transaction—Class A Conversion Period.” Furthermore, during the Class A Conversion Period, our board of directors will resolve on any conversion requests received from LuxCo within 15 business days of receiving such request. However, in the case of requests received from Eligible Shareholders, our board of directors will only resolve on such requests 15 business days following the end of the fiscal quarter in which they are made.

JBS S.A. may incur debt to pay the Cash Dividend. Repayment of this debt may be made with proceeds of future equity offerings of JBS N.V., which may adversely impact the value of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or JBS N.V. BDRs.

JBS S.A. may incur debt to finance a portion of the Cash Dividend. The incurrence of debt by us in connection with or in advance of completion of the Proposed Transaction will not result in adjustments to the Exchange Ratio, and may impact the value of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or JBS N.V. BDRs that you receive in connection with the Proposed Transaction. After the Closing Date, JBS S.A. will be a wholly owned subsidiary of JBS N.V., and JBS N.V. may use funds received from JBS S.A. (as dividend, interest on shareholders’ equity or capital reduction) to repay debt. This may prevent distributions or reduce cash available for distributions to shareholders of JBS N.V. Using funds from JBS S.A. or incurring debt may adversely affect our financial condition, JBS S.A.’s capitalization, and our ability to implement our business plan after the completion of the Proposed Transaction. We may issue equity securities in the future and use the proceeds to repay debt incurred. Future equity issuances or conversion of outstanding debt securities into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares may result in your dilution and impact the value of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs.

 

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We may issue additional JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares in the future, which may dilute your interest in JBS N.V.’s share capital and affect the trading price of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or JBS N.V. BDRs.

We may issue additional JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares in the future (or voluntarily or mandatorily convert JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares), which may result in a dilution of your interest in JBS N.V.’s share capital and affect the trading price of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or JBS N.V. BDRs. Under Dutch law, each JBS N.V. shareholder has pre-emptive rights on any issue of shares pro rata to the aggregate nominal value of his shares, except inter alia if shares are issued for a non-cash contribution, if shares are issued to employees or if shares are issued to persons exercising a previously granted right to subscribe for shares. The general meeting of shareholders is in principle authorized to limit or exclude pre-emptive rights or to delegate such authority to the board of directors. See “Description of Share Capital—Additional Issuances and Pre-Emptive Rights” for additional information. We may raise funds to grow our business and implement our growth strategy through public or private issuances of common shares or securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, JBS N.V. Common Shares, which may dilute your interest in JBS N.V.’s share capital or result in a decrease in the market price of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or JBS N.V. BDRs. In addition, we may also enter into mergers or other similar transactions in the future, which may dilute your interest in JBS N.V.’s share capital or result in a decrease in the market price of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or JBS N.V. BDRs. Any fundraising through the issuance of shares or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares, the optional or mandatory conversion of JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares or the participation in corporate transactions with an effect similar to a merger, may dilute your interest in JBS N.V.’s share capital or result in a decrease in the market price of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or JBS N.V. BDRs.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about us or our businesses, the price and trading volume of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and JBS N.V. BDRs could decline.

The trading market for the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and the JBS N.V. BDRs will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our businesses. While securities and industry analysts currently cover JBS S.A., securities and industry analysts do not currently cover JBS N.V., and may never publish research on us. If no securities or industry analysts commence coverage of us, the trading price for the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or the JBS N.V. BDRs would likely be negatively impacted. In the event securities or industry analysts initiate coverage, if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our securities or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our businesses, the price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or the JBS N.V. BDRs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or the JBS N.V. BDRs could decrease, which might cause the price and trading volume of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and/or JBS N.V. BDRs to decline.

The Proposed Transaction may be approved by a small percentage of our non-controlling shareholders.

Although, as described under “JBS S.A. General Meeting—Required Vote,” the minimum vote requirements to approve the different matters being voted on at the JBS S.A. General Meeting vary, all matters subject to vote at the JBS S.A. General Meeting are conditional upon each other, such that if one matter is not approved, the others will also be rejected. Since the Delisting must be approved by a majority of the JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding (including JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding represented by JBS S.A. ADSs) present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, the approval of all matters at the JBS S.A. General Meeting will ultimately require approval of the majority of the JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding (including JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding represented by JBS S.A. ADSs) present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting. A majority of the JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding represents approximately 25% of the total issued and outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares as of March 15, 2024. However, since certain matters being voted on at the JBS S.A. General Meeting (such as the Merger of

 

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Shares) must be approved by a majority of the outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares, it is possible that the Proposed Transaction may be approved by non-controlling shareholders representing as little as approximately 1.5% of the total JBS S.A. Common Shares issued and outstanding (which combined with the 48.48% of the issued and outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares held by JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders as of March 15, 2024 amount to a majority of the of the JBS S.A. Common Shares outstanding). If non-controlling shareholders of JBS S.A. do not attend the JBS S.A. General Meeting, they may have no significant power to decide on the Proposed Transaction. In addition, JBS S.A. ADS Holders on the ADS Voting Record Date may not participate directly in the JBS S.A. General Meeting, but must instead instruct the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank to vote the JBS S.A. Common Shares underlying their JBS S.A. ADSs. JBS S.A. ADS Holders must provide voting instructions to the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank several business days prior to the JBS S.A. General Meeting. Also, if you become a JBS S.A. ADS Holder subsequent to the ADS Voting Record Date, which will be prior to the JBS S.A. General Meeting, you will not be entitled to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at the JBS S.A. General Meeting. JBS S.A. These procedures may have the effect of limiting voting by JBS S.A. ADS Holders at the JBS S.A. General Meeting.

Failure to conclude the Proposed Transaction after approval at the JBS S.A. General Meeting may adversely affect the market price of JBS S.A. Common Shares.

The completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to the approval of JBS S.A. Shareholders (including the JBS S.A. ADS Depositary Bank, on behalf of the JBS S.A. ADS Holders) at the JBS S.A. General Meeting where holders representing at least 25% of JBS S.A.’s issued and outstanding voting capital must be present in person, represented by a proxy in accordance with Brazilian corporate law at the meeting or have submitted remote voting ballots (boletim de voto à distância). The Merger of Shares and ancillary matters, such as the Merger of Shares Protocol and related valuation reports, as described under the caption “JBS S.A. General Meeting—Agenda of the JBS S.A. General Meeting,” require the affirmative vote of at least the majority (50% plus 1 share) of the total outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares (including JBS S.A. Common Shares represented by JBS S.A. ADSs). The Cash Dividend requires the affirmative vote of at least the majority (50% plus 1 share) of the outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares (including JBS S.A. Common Shares represented by JBS S.A. ADSs) present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting. In addition, holders of at least the majority (50% plus 1 share) of the JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding (including JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding represented by JBS S.A. ADSs) present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting must approve the Delisting. For more information about the percentage of shareholders required to approve each matter being voted upon at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, see “JBS S.A. General Meeting—Required Vote.” Although, as described above, the minimum vote requirements to approve the different matters being voted on at the JBS S.A. General Meeting vary, all matters subject to vote at the JBS S.A. General Meeting are conditional upon each other, such that if one matter is not approved, the others will also be rejected. Since the Delisting must be approved by a majority of the JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding (including JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding represented by JBS S.A. ADSs) present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting, the approval of all matters at the JBS S.A. General Meeting will ultimately require approval of the majority of the JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding (including JBS S.A. Free Float Outstanding represented by JBS S.A. ADSs) present at the JBS S.A. General Meeting. See “—The Proposed Transaction may be approved by a small percentage of our non-controlling shareholders” above. JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders, who held 48.48% of the issued and outstanding JBS S.A. Common Shares as of March 15, 2024, will be counted for quorum purposes to install the JBS S.A. General Meeting but will only vote in favor of the Merger of Shares (and ancillary matters) and the Cash Dividend if the Delisting is approved and only if their votes are necessary to reach the minimum required affirmative votes. Otherwise, JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders will abstain from voting on such matters. In addition, if no non-controlling shareholders attend the JBS S.A. General Meeting, the meeting will not be held even though the shares held by JBS S.A.’s direct controlling shareholders will be sufficient to establish a quorum because, as described above, the Proposed Transaction cannot be approved without participation by non-controlling shareholders.

Completion of the Proposed Transaction is also subject to certain additional conditions, none of which may be waived. See “The Proposed Transaction—Conditions Precedent to the Proposed Transaction.” There is no

 

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assurance that the Proposed Transaction will be completed on the terms or timeline currently contemplated, or at all. Failure to conclude the Proposed Transaction after its approval at the JBS S.A. General Meeting may adversely affect the market price of JBS S.A. Common Shares.

In addition, we have expended and will continue to expend significant management time and resources and have incurred and will continue to incur significant expenses due to legal, advisory and accounting services fees related to the Proposed Transaction. These expenses must be paid regardless of whether the Transaction is completed.

JBS S.A. could be subject to potential litigation relating to the Proposed Transaction that could delay the Proposed Transaction and/or result in significant costs and expenses.

JBS S.A. could be subject to potential litigation relating to the Proposed Transaction that could delay the Proposed Transaction and/or result in significant costs and expenses. In Brazil, for example, shareholder litigation often follows certain significant business transactions, such as the Proposed Transaction. The Proposed Transaction may become involved in this type of litigation in the future. Litigation is often expensive and diverts management’s attention and resources, which could adversely affect or delay the completion of the Proposed Transaction and/or result in significant costs and expenses.

Anti-takeover provisions in JBS N.V.’s articles of association could deter potential acquirers and make an acquisition of us difficult, limit attempts by our shareholders to replace or remove our current directors and management team, and limit the market price of our common shares.

The European Directive on Takeover Bids (2004/25/EC) has been implemented in Dutch legislation but applies only to companies whose shares are admitted to listing and trading on an EU regulated market. Given that the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares shall only be admitted to listing and trading on the NYSE, these provisions are not applicable.

JBS N.V.’s articles of association contain provisions that, although they do not make us immune from takeovers, may delay or prevent a change of control, discourage bids at a premium over the market price of JBS N.V. Common Shares and adversely affect the market price of JBS N.V. Common Shares and the voting and other rights of its shareholders. These provisions include:

 

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provisions establishing a dual class share structure, not taking into consideration the JBS N.V. Conversion Shares, which, for so long the JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares are issued and outstanding, will allow the holders of JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares to control the outcome of most corporate matters requiring shareholder approval, to the extent these resolutions do not require a qualified majority, even if the number of JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares represent significantly less than a majority of the number of issued and outstanding JBS N.V. Common Shares. As a result, the holders of JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares could delay or prevent the approval of a change of control transaction that may otherwise be approved by the holders of our issued and outstanding JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares;

 

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automatic conversion of JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares into JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares upon the enforcement of a security interest over such JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares (including, but not limited to, a right of pledge), which results in a transfer of such JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares; and

 

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minimum shareholding thresholds, based on nominal value, for shareholders to call general meetings or to add items to the agenda for those meetings.

In addition, concurrently with the closing of the Proposed Transaction, JBS N.V. and LuxCo expect to enter into a tag along agreement that will establish LuxCo’s undertaking towards JBS N.V. that any transfer of the

 

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ability to exercise, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the voting power at the general meeting of JBS N.V. by LuxCo to a third party purchaser (such excluding any affiliate of LuxCo), acting alone or acting in concert with others, either through a single transaction or through a number of successive transactions, shall be agreed on the condition that the third party purchaser (and its concert parties) undertakes to make a public offer for the acquisition of the shares in the capital of JBS N.V., having as object the shares in the capital of JBS N.V. held by the other shareholders of JBS N.V., at the same terms and conditions as the terms under which LuxCo transfers the control of JBS N.V. to the third party purchaser (and its concert parties), so as to ensure such other shareholders’ equal treatment as compared to LuxCo. For more information, see “Principal Shareholders—Tag-Along Agreement with LuxCo.”

These provisions may be applied even if an offer may be considered beneficial by some shareholders. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our shareholders to replace or remove our current management team by making it more difficult for shareholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management.

As a holding company, our operating results, financial condition and ability to pay dividends or other distributions are entirely dependent on dividends and other distributions received from our subsidiaries.

As a holding company, our operating results and financial condition are entirely dependent on the performance of our operating subsidiaries. Additionally, our ability to pay dividends or other distributions in the future will depend on the level of dividends and other distributions, if any, received from our operating subsidiaries. The ability of our operating companies to make loans or distributions (directly or indirectly) to us may, from time to time, be restricted as a result of several factors, including restrictions in financing agreements, capital controls or other foreign exchange limitations, the requirements of applicable law (including Dutch law) and regulatory and fiscal or other restrictions (including, for example, the application of a dividend withholding tax and the ability to use any double tax treaty to mitigate such tax) in the jurisdictions in which our subsidiaries operate or if such operating subsidiaries were unable to make loans or distributions to us either directly or indirectly. If earnings and cash flow from operating subsidiaries were substantially reduced for a sufficient length of time, we may not be in a position in the longer term to make distributions to our shareholders in line with any future announced proposals or at all. We can only declare dividends out of the profits as determined following the adoption of the annual accounts by the general meeting of shareholders, or the freely distributable reserves available to us as determined in accordance with Dutch law.

Our ability to make dividend payments is subject to, inter alia, our future financial performance and cash flow position and by limitations under our debt agreements and Dutch law. Investors may not be able to rely on dividends to receive a return on their investment.

Although we currently expect to pay a regular annual dividend following the closing of the Proposed Transaction, any such determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of the general meeting of shareholders and board of directors. Following the adoption of the annual accounts by the general meeting of shareholders, our board of directors may determine which part of the profits shall be reserved. The general meeting of shareholders may resolve that the part of the profits remaining after reservation shall be distributed as a dividend on the JBS N.V. Shares; without such resolution, these profits shall also be reserved. Our board of directors may, without shareholder approval but subject to certain conditions, also resolve to distribute an interim dividend on JBS N.V. Shares and/or to make a distribution from the reserves.

In addition, any such determination to pay dividends will also be dependent on then-existing conditions, including our financial condition, earnings, legal requirements, including limitations under Dutch law, restrictions in our debt agreements that limit our ability to pay dividends to shareholders and other factors our board of directors deems relevant. For example, pursuant to the Dutch Civil Code, JBS N.V. may only make distributions to its shareholders to the extent its equity exceeds the sum of the paid-in and called-up issued capital plus the reserves as required to be maintained by Dutch law.

 

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For these reasons, you will not be able to rely on dividends to receive a return on your investment. Accordingly, realization of a gain on the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs you receive in the distribution may depend on the appreciation of the price of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or the JBS N.V. BDRs, as the case may be, which appreciation may never occur. Moreover, any determination to pay dividends in the future would be subject to compliance with applicable laws, including the Dutch Civil Code.

Any shareholder whose principal currency is not the U.S. dollar will be subject to exchange rate fluctuations.

The JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares will be traded in, and any cash dividends or other distributions to be declared in respect of them, if any, will be denominated, in U.S. dollars. Shareholders whose principal currency is not the U.S. dollar will be exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risk. Any depreciation of the U.S. dollar in relation to such foreign currency would reduce the value of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares held by such shareholders, whereas any appreciation of the U.S. dollar would increase their value in foreign currency terms. In addition, we will not offer our shareholders the option to elect to receive dividends, if any, in any other currency. Consequently, our shareholders may be required to arrange their own foreign currency exchange, either through a brokerage house or otherwise, which could incur additional commissions or expenses.

Following the Proposed Transaction JBS N.V. will become a U.S. public reporting company subject to U.S. financial reporting rules and regulations and other requirements of the SEC. Our accounting and other management systems and resources may not be immediately prepared to meet these requirements, which may strain our resources.

Following the Proposed Transaction, JBS N.V. will become a public reporting company in the United States and Brazil and will be subject to reporting, disclosure control and other applicable obligations under the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (“SOX”), and the Dodd-Frank Act, as well as rules adopted, and to be adopted, by the SEC, the NYSE, the CVM and the B3.

As a result, we will incur higher legal, accounting and other expenses than before, and these expenses may increase even more in the future. For example, Section 404 of SOX requires annual management assessment of the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting and a report by our independent registered public accounting firm addressing these assessments, subject to phase-in accommodations for newly listed companies. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives, which we are in the process of developing and implementing while at the same time remaining focused on our existing operations. If we are unable to implement our compliance initiatives in a timely and effective fashion, our ability to comply with the financial reporting requirements and other rules that apply to reporting companies could be impaired.

In addition, we cannot assure you that there will not be material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting in the future. Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting could severely inhibit our ability to accurately report our cash flows, results of operations or financial condition. If we are unable to conclude that our internal controls over financial reporting are effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm determines we have a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our common shares could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the NYSE, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Failure to remedy any material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting, or to implement or maintain other effective control systems required of public companies in the United States, could also restrict our future access to capital markets and reduce or eliminate the trading market for our common shares.

We are a “foreign private issuer” under U.S. securities laws and, as a result, are subject to disclosure obligations that are different from those applicable to U.S. domestic registrants listed on the NYSE.

As a foreign private issuer, we will be exempt from a number of requirements under U.S. securities laws that apply to public companies that are not foreign private issuers. In particular, we will be exempt from the rules

 

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and regulations under the Exchange Act, related to the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our officers, directors and principal shareholders will be exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we will not be required under the Exchange Act to file annual and current reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. domestic companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act and we will generally be exempt from filing quarterly reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act. We will also be exempt from the provisions of Regulation FD, which prohibits the selective disclosure of material nonpublic information to, among others, broker-dealers and holders of a company’s securities under circumstances in which it is reasonably foreseeable that the holder will trade in such company’s securities on the basis of the information. These exemptions and leniencies will reduce the frequency and scope of information and protections to which you are entitled as an investor.

In order to maintain our current status as a foreign private issuer, either (a) more than 50% of our outstanding voting securities must be directly or indirectly owned of record by non-residents of the United States or (b)(1) a majority of our executive officers or directors may not be U.S. citizens or residents, (2) more than 50% of our assets cannot be located in the United States and (3) our business must be administered principally outside the United States. Following the completion of this offering or at some other time thereafter, U.S. residents may directly or indirectly own more than 50% of our outstanding voting securities. If so, we will cease to qualify as a foreign private issuer if we do not meet the requirements set forth in (b) above.

Although we have elected to comply with certain U.S. regulatory provisions, our loss of foreign private issuer status would make such provisions mandatory. The regulatory and compliance costs to us under U.S. securities laws as a U.S. domestic issuer would be significantly higher. If we are not a foreign private issuer, we will be required to file periodic reports and registration statements on U.S. domestic issuer forms with the SEC, which are more detailed and extensive than the forms available to a foreign private issuer. We would also be required to follow U.S. proxy disclosure requirements. We may also be required to modify certain of our policies to comply with good governance practices associated with U.S. domestic issuers. Such conversion and modifications will involve additional costs. In addition, we would lose our ability to rely upon exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements on U.S. stock exchanges that are available to foreign private issuers.

As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to follow certain home country corporate governance practices instead of otherwise applicable NYSE requirements.

As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to follow certain home country corporate governance practices instead of those otherwise required under the NYSE rules for domestic U.S. issuers, provided that we disclose any significant ways in which our corporate governance practices differ from those followed by domestic companies under NYSE listing standards. For example, foreign private issuers are permitted to follow home country practice with regard to director nomination procedures and the approval of compensation of officers. See “Description of Share Capital—Comparison of Dutch Corporate Law and U.S. Corporate Law” for more information on the significant differences between our corporate governance practices and those followed by domestic U.S. issuers.

As a result of our reliance on the corporate governance exemptions available to foreign private issuers under NYSE rules, you will not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the NYSE’s corporate governance requirements. We may also be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of the NYSE. If we were to lose our foreign private issuer status but remain a controlled company, we may rely on the “controlled company” exemption under NYSE corporate governance rules. See “Management—Corporate Governance Practices” for more information.

Availing ourselves of any of these exemptions, as opposed to complying with the requirements that are applicable to a U.S. domestic registrant, may provide less protection to you than is accorded to investors under the NYSE’s corporate governance rules. Therefore, any foreign private issuer or “controlled company” exemptions we avail ourselves of in the future may reduce the scope of information and protection to which you are otherwise entitled as an investor.

 

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We are incorporated under and subject to Dutch law, which may afford less protection to our shareholders than U.S. laws.

Our corporate affairs are governed by JBS N.V.’s articles of association and Dutch law. Dutch law may afford less protection to our shareholders than U.S. laws and may differ in some material respects from laws generally applicable to U.S. companies and shareholders, including the provisions relating to interested directors, mergers, amalgamations and acquisitions, takeovers, shareholder lawsuits and indemnification of directors. There may be less publicly available information about us than is regularly published by or about U.S. companies. Dutch law governing the shares of Dutch companies may not be as extensive as those in effect in the United States, and Dutch law and regulations in respect of corporate governance matters might not be as protective of minority shareholders as state corporation laws in the United States. Therefore, our shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in connection with actions taken by our directors and officers or our principal shareholders than they would as shareholders of a corporation incorporated in the United States. See “Description of Share Capital.” For example, neither JBS N.V.’s articles of association nor Dutch law provides for appraisal rights for dissenting shareholders in certain extraordinary corporate transactions that may otherwise be available to shareholders under certain U.S. state laws.

All our general meetings of shareholders shall take place in Amsterdam or Haarlemmermeer (Schiphol Airport), the Netherlands. Shareholders may vote by proxy or in person at any general meeting of shareholders.

Dutch law provides that courts at the corporate seat of the issuer have jurisdiction for certain disputes between us and our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders’ ability to bring a claim in a U.S. court for disputes with us or members of our board of directors, senior management or employees.

Dutch law provides that the courts at the corporate seat of the issuer are the exclusive forum for, inter alia, any legal challenge by a shareholder of a resolution of the general meeting. This may limit a shareholders’ ability to bring a claim in a U.S. court for disputes with JBS N.V. or members of our board of directors, senior management or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against JBS N.V. and members of our board of directors, senior management or other employees. This exclusive forum does not apply to claims under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.

Instead, JBS N.V.’s articles of association will provide that, unless our board of directors consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum for the resolution of a specific complaint, the sole and exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, shall be the federal district courts of the United States. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we note that holders of our securities cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, and Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision may not preclude or contract the scope of exclusive federal or concurrent jurisdiction for actions brought under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, or the respective rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

The preceding exclusive forum provisions described in this risk factor may increase litigation costs or limit a shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a U.S. court for disputes with JBS N.V. or members of our board of directors, senior management or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against the Company and members of our board of directors, senior management and other employees. In addition, the enforceability of exclusive forum provisions in JBS N.V.’s articles of association is uncertain. If a court were to find any of the exclusive forum provisions described in this risk factor to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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The ability of shareholders to effect service of process or enforce civil liabilities under U.S. securities laws may be limited.

At the date of listing of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, JBS N.V. will be a public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) under Dutch law and some of its directors and executive officers are (at that time) residents of countries other than the United States. A portion of our assets and the assets of some of its directors and executive officers are located outside the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors in the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to effect service of process within the United States upon such persons or upon us or to enforce in U.S. courts or outside the United States judgments obtained against such persons or against us. In addition, it may be difficult for investors to enforce, in original actions brought in courts in jurisdictions located outside the United States, liabilities predicated upon the civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws and there is substantial doubt as to the enforceability, in the Netherlands, of original actions or actions for enforcement based on the federal securities laws of the United States or judgments of U.S. courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States.

The United States and the Netherlands do not currently have a treaty providing for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments, other than arbitration awards, in civil and commercial matters. Accordingly, a final judgment for the payment of money rendered by U.S. courts based on civil liability, whether or not predicated solely upon the U.S. federal securities laws, would not be directly enforceable in the Netherlands. However, if the party in whose favor such final judgment is rendered brings a new suit in a competent court in the Netherlands, that party may submit to the Dutch court the final judgment that has been rendered in the United States. A judgment by a federal or state court in the United States against us will neither be recognized nor enforced by a Dutch court but such judgment may serve as evidence in a similar action in a Dutch court. Additionally, based on Dutch Supreme Court case law, a Dutch court will generally grant the same judgment without a review of the merits of the underlying claim if that judgment: (1) resulted from legal proceedings compatible with Dutch notions of due process; (2) does not contravene public policy of the Netherlands; (3) was a decision of a court that has accepted its judgment on internationally accepted principles of private international law; and (4) is not incompatible with (a) a prior judgment of a Dutch court rendered in a dispute between the same parties, or (b) a prior judgment of a foreign court rendered in a dispute between the same parties, concerning the same subject matter and based on the same cause of action, provided that the prior judgment qualifies for recognition in the Netherlands.

Judgments of Brazilian courts to enforce our obligations with respect to JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs may be payable only in Brazilian reais.

If proceedings are brought in the courts of Brazil seeking to enforce our obligations in respect of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs, we may not be required to discharge our obligations in a currency other than the Brazilian real. Under Brazilian exchange control laws, an obligation in Brazil to pay amounts denominated in a currency other than the Brazilian real may only be satisfied in Brazilian currency at the exchange rate, typically as determined by the Brazilian Central Bank, in effect on the date the judgment is obtained, and such amounts are then typically adjusted to reflect exchange rate variations and monetary restatements through the effective payment date. The then-prevailing exchange rate may not afford non- Brazilian investors with full compensation for any claim arising out of or related to our obligations under the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs.

If the Merger of Shares and Redemption do not qualify as a nonrecognition transaction, U.S. holders of JBS S.A. Common Shares may incur a substantially greater U.S. federal income tax liability as a result of the Proposed Transaction.

The Merger of Shares and Redemption, when taken together with certain other steps of the Corporate Restructuring, are expected to be treated as part of an integrated transaction qualifying as a nonrecognition transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As discussed further in the section entitled “Material U.S.

 

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Federal Income Tax Consequences—Consequences of the Merger of Shares and Redemption”, however, this treatment is not clear under the U.S. federal income tax rules and it is not certain whether the Merger of Shares and the Redemption qualify for such tax treatment.

If the Merger of Shares and Redemption qualify as a nonrecognition transaction, then U.S. holders of JBS S.A. Common Shares generally will not recognize gain or loss with respect to the Merger of Shares and Redemption. However, no ruling will be requested from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) with respect to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Proposed Transaction. Consequently, no assurance can be given that the IRS will not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position to the contrary. If the Merger of Shares and Redemption do not qualify as a nonrecognition transaction, and therefore are a fully taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a U.S. holder of JBS S.A. Common Shares generally would recognize taxable gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of any JBS. N.V. BDRs or JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares received on the date of exchange and its tax basis in the JBS S.A. Common Shares exchanged, in each case determined in U.S. dollars.

The tax consequences of the Proposed Transaction are discussed in more detail under “Taxation—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

The receipt of the Cash Dividend pursuant to the Proposed Transaction is expected to be taxable at ordinary income rates for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

In general, subject to the discussion below under “—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules,” the Cash Distribution will be a distribution paid on the JBS S.A. Common Shares which will be treated (i) as a dividend to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), (ii) to the extent of any amount of such distribution in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, as a non-taxable return of capital, thereby reducing a U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the JBS S.A. Common Shares (but not below zero), and (iii) thereafter as either long-term or short-term capital gain depending upon whether the U.S. Holder held the JBS S.A. Common Shares for more than one year as of the time such distribution is actually or constructively received. Because we do not maintain calculations of our earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax principles, it is expected that the Cash Distribution generally will be reported to U.S. Holders as a dividend, and taxable at ordinary income tax rates.

The tax consequences of the Proposed Transaction and of holding JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs are discussed in more detail below under “Taxation—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

There could be adverse U.S. tax consequences to former JBS S.A. Shareholders or JBS S.A. ADS Holders that hold JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs following the Proposed Transaction if JBS S.A. or JBS N.V. is a passive foreign investment company.

U.S. shareholders of passive foreign investment companies are subject to potentially adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences. In general, a non-U.S. corporation is a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”), for any taxable year in which: (1) 75% or more of its gross income consists of passive income; or (2) 50% or more of the average value of its assets (generally determined on the basis of a quarterly average) consists of assets that produce, or are held for the production of, passive income. For purposes of the above calculations, a non-U.S. corporation that owns, directly or indirectly, at least 25% by value of the shares of another corporation is treated as if it held its proportionate share of the assets of the other corporation and received directly its proportionate share of the income of the other corporation.

Based on JBS S.A.’s audited financial statements and our current expectations regarding the value and nature of our assets, the sources and nature of our income, and relevant market and shareholder data, we do not believe that JBS S.A. or JBS N.V. was treated as a PFIC for the 2021, 2022 or 2023 taxable years and we do not anticipate JBS S.A. or JBS N.V. becoming a PFIC for the current taxable year or in the reasonably foreseeable future.

 

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However, the determination whether we are a PFIC must be made annually after the close of each taxable year and based on the facts and circumstances at that time, such as the valuation of our assets (including, following the Proposed Transaction, the assets of JBS S.A.), including goodwill and other intangible assets, which may depend on the value of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares and JBS N.V. BDRs which can be expected to vary from time to time. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will not be treated as a PFIC for a given taxable year. If we are a PFIC, U.S. shareholders would be subject to certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences as discussed under “Taxation—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”

The Proposed Transaction and subsequent ownership and disposal of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs could result in substantial Brazilian tax liability for you.

You may be required to assess Brazilian capital gains and pay Brazilian taxes in connection with the exchange of JBS S.A. Common Shares for the consideration in the Proposed Transaction or with the subsequent acquisition, ownership and disposal of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs. See “Taxation—Material Brazilian Tax Consequences” for more information regarding the potential Brazilian tax consequences to you of the Proposed Transaction and subsequent ownership and disposal of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs.

The Proposed Transaction and subsequent ownership and disposal of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs could result in substantial Dutch tax liability for you.

You may be required to pay Dutch capital gains or other taxes in connection with the exchange of JBS S.A. Common Shares for the consideration in the Proposed Transaction or with the subsequent acquisition, ownership and disposal of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs. See “Taxation—Material Dutch Tax Consequences” for more information regarding the potential Dutch tax consequences to you of the Proposed Transaction and subsequent ownership and disposal of the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares, JBS N.V. Class B Common Shares or JBS N.V. BDRs.

Holders of JBS N.V. BDRs may be subject to additional risks related to holding BDRs rather than JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares.

Because holders of JBS N.V. BDRs will not hold their JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares directly, they are subject to the following additional risks, among others:

 

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a holder of JBS N.V. BDRs will not be treated as a direct holder of JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares and may not be able to exercise shareholder rights;

 

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dividends on the JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares represented by the JBS N.V. BDRs will be paid to the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank, and before the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank makes a distribution to a holder on behalf of the JBS N.V. BDRs, withholding taxes or other governmental charges, if any, that must be paid, will be deducted;

 

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we and the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank may amend or terminate the JBS N.V. BDR Deposit Agreement without the consent of holders of the JBS N.V. BDRs in a manner that could prejudice holders of JBS N.V. BDRs or that could affect their ability to transfer JBS N.V. BDRs, among others; and

 

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the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary Bank may take other actions inconsistent with the best interests of holders of JBS N.V. BDRs.

There are no specific rules relating to the delisting of our BDRs from the B3.

We may decide to delist the JBS N.V. BDRs from B3. In such case, we cannot guarantee that we (or any person related to us) will make a public offering for the acquisition of JBS N.V. BDRs or the underlying JBS

 

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N.V. Class A Common Shares on terms and conditions that meet the expectations of the BDR holders, who in any case will not be able to prevent us from deregistering from the CVM and delisting the JBS N.V. BDRs from the B3. Pursuant to B3 regulations effective as of August 18, 2023, if we decide to delist the JBS N.V. BDRs from the B3, we shall promptly disclose such decision to the market and submit a delisting request to B3 within five business days thereafter. Delisting procedures shall be approved by B3 and require us to grant BDR holders, at least, the following alternatives: (i) transferring, within 30 days of the date of disclosure of the delisting decision, the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares to a custody account in the main market in which they are traded, to be indicated by the holders of the JBS N.V. BDRs to the JBS N.V. BDR Depositary (“Transfer Period”); and (ii) sale, within 30 days following the end of the Transfer Period, of the underlying JBS N.V. Class A Common Shares in the main market in which they are traded, provided that the receipt of the sale proceeds by the holders of JBS N.V. BDRs in Brazil shall correspond to the average of the sale prices. In the event a JBS N.V. BDR holder shall not appoint a custody account pursuant to (i) above, it shall be presumed that such holder opted to the option (ii) above. B3 also has the authority to determine specific delisting conditions based on the characteristics of a BDR program (if it does so, such conditions shall also be approved by the CVM).

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industries

Our results of operations may be adversely affected by fluctuations in market prices for, and the availability of, livestock and animal feed ingredients.

Our operating margins depend on, among other factors, the purchase price of raw materials, primarily livestock and animal feed ingredients, and the sales price of our products. These prices may vary significantly, including during short periods of time, due to a number of factors, including beef, pork and poultry supply and demand and the market for other protein products. Raw materials accounted for a majority of the total cost of products sold during the year ended December 31, 2023. The supply and market for livestock depend on a number of factors that we have little or no control over, including outbreaks of diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (commonly referred to as mad cow disease) (“BSE”), and foot and mouth disease (“FMD”), the cost of animal feeding, economic and weather conditions.

Livestock prices demonstrate a cyclical nature both seasonally and over longer periods, reflecting the supply of, and demand for, livestock on the market and the market for other protein products such as fish. These costs are determined by constantly changing market forces of supply and demand, as well as other factors over which we have little or no control. These other factors include:

 

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import and export restrictions;

 

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changing livestock and grain inventory levels;

 

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economic conditions;

 

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crop and animal diseases; and

 

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environmental, occupational health and safety and conservation regulations.

We do not generally enter into long-term sales arrangements with our customers with fixed price contracts, and, as a result, the prices at which we sell our products are determined in large part by market conditions. A majority of our livestock is purchased from independent producers who sell livestock to us under marketing contracts or on the open market. A significant decrease in beef, pork or chicken prices for a sustained period of time could have a material adverse effect on our net revenue. Also, a portion of our forward purchase and sale contracts are measured at fair value such that the related unrealized gains and losses are reported in profit or loss earnings on a quarterly basis. Such losses would adversely affect our earnings and may cause significant volatility in our earnings.

Profitability in the processing industry is materially affected by the commodity prices of animal feed ingredients, such as grain, corn and soybeans. The production of feed ingredients is positively or negatively

 

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affected due to various factors, primarily by the global level of supply inventories and demand for feed ingredients, the agricultural policies of the United States and foreign governments and weather patterns throughout the world. Market prices for feed ingredients remain volatile. High prices for animal feed ingredients may have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

Accordingly, we may be unable to pass on all or part of any increased costs we experience from time to time to consumers of our products directly, in a timely manner or at all. Additionally, if we do not attract and maintain contracts or marketing relationships with independent producers and growers, our production operations could be disrupted, adversely affecting us.

Outbreaks of animal diseases may affect our ability to conduct our business and harm demand for our products.

Supply of and demand for our products can be adversely impacted by outbreaks of animal diseases, which can have a significant impact on our financial results. Outbreaks of diseases affecting animals, such as BSE, FMD and various strains of influenza, which may be caused by factors beyond our control, or concerns that these diseases may occur and spread in the future, could significantly affect demand for our products, consumer perceptions of certain protein products, the availability of livestock for purchase by us and our ability to conduct our operations, including as a result of cancellations of orders by our customers or governmental restrictions on the import and export of our products to or from our suppliers, facilities or customers. For example, in February 2023, Brazil suspended beef exports to China following one confirmed case of atypical mad cow disease in Brazil. This suspension lasted approximately one month. Although this suspension did not have a material adverse effect on us given that sales of beef from Brazil to China represented less than 3% of JBS S.A. total consolidated net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2023, another case or outbreak of mad cow disease in the markets where we produce beef that leads to a more geographically widespread and/or longer lasting suspension of our beef sales may have a more significant adverse effect on results of operations. Moreover, outbreaks of animal diseases could have a significant effect on the livestock we own by requiring us to, among other things, destroy any affected livestock and create negative publicity that may have a material adverse effect on customer demand for our products. In addition, if the products of our competitors become contaminated, the adverse publicity associated with such an event may lower consumer demand for our products.

Any perceived or real health risks related to the food industry could adversely affect our ability to sell our products. If our products become contaminated, we may be subject to product liability claims and product recalls.

We are subject to risks affecting the food industry generally, including risks posed by the following:

 

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food spoilage or food contamination;

 

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consumer product liability claims;

 

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product tampering;

 

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the possible unavailability and expense of product liability insurance; and

 

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the potential cost and disruption of a product recall.

Our products have in the past been, and may in the future be, exposed to contamination by organisms that may produce food borne illnesses, such as E. coli, listeria monocytogenes and salmonella. These organisms and pathogens are found generally in the environment and, as a result, there is a risk that they could be present in our products. These organisms and pathogens can also be introduced to our products through tampering or as a result of improper handling at the further processing, foodservice or consumer level. Once contaminated products have been shipped for distribution, illness or death may result if the products are not properly prepared prior to consumption or if the organisms and pathogens are not eliminated in further processing.

 

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Our systems designed to monitor food safety risks may not eliminate the risks related to food safety. We have little, if any, control over handling procedures once our products have been shipped for distribution. If any of our products are determined to be contaminated, spoiled or inappropriately labeled, whether or not we are at fault, we may voluntarily recall, or be required to recall, our products. A widespread product recall could result in significant losses due to the costs of a recall, the destruction of product inventory and lost sales due to the unavailability of product for a period of time. We may also be subject to increased risk of exposure to product liability claims and governmental proceedings, which may result in penalties, injunctive relief and plant closings. Any of these occurrences may have an adverse effect on our financial results.

We may be subject to significant liability in the jurisdictions in which our products are sold if the consumption of any of our products causes injury, illness or death. Such liability may result from proceedings filed by the government’s attorney’s office, consumer agencies and individual consumers. Even an inadvertent shipment of contaminated products may be a violation of law. We may have to pay significant damages to consumers or to the government and such liability may be in excess of applicable liability insurance policy limits.

In addition, adverse publicity concerning any perceived or real health risk associated with our products could also cause customers to lose confidence in the safety and quality of our food products, which could adversely affect our ability to sell our products. We could also be adversely affected by perceived or real health risks associated with similar products produced by others to the extent such risks cause customers to lose confidence in the safety and quality of such products generally.

Changes in consumer preferences and/or negative perception of the consumer regarding the quality and safety of our products could adversely affect our business.

The food industry is generally subject to changing consumer trends, demands and preferences. Trends within the food industry frequently change, and our failure to anticipate, identify or react to changes in these trends could lead to reduced demand and prices for our products, among other concerns, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We could also be adversely affected if consumers lose confidence in the safety and quality of our food products or ingredients, or in the food safety system generally. Negative perceptions concerning the health implications of certain food products, or ingredients or loss of confidence in the food safety system generally, could influence consumer preferences and acceptance of some of our products and marketing programs. Negative perceptions and failure to satisfy consumer preferences could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition and results of operations.

We face competition in our business, which may adversely affect our market share and profitability.

The beef, pork and chicken industries are highly competitive. Competition exists both in the purchase of live cattle and hogs and grains, and in the sale of beef, pork and chicken products. In addition, our beef, pork and chicken products compete with other protein sources, such as fish. We face competition from a number of beef, pork and chicken producers in the countries in which we operate.

The principal competitive factors in the animal protein processing industries are operating efficiency and the availability, quality and cost of raw materials and labor, price, quality, food safety, product distribution, technological innovations and brand loyalty. Our ability to be an effective competitor depends on our ability to compete on the basis of these characteristics. In addition, some of our competitors may have greater financial and other resources than us. We may be unable to compete effectively with these companies, in which case our market share and, consequently, our operations and results may be adversely affected.

Our growth (organic and inorganic) may require substantial capital and long-term investments.

Our competitiveness and growth depend on our ability to fund our capital expenditures. We cannot assure you that we will be able to fund our capital expenditures at reasonable costs due to adverse macroeconomic conditions, our performance or other external factors, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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We may pursue additional opportunities to acquire complementary businesses, which could further increase leverage and debt service requirements and could adversely affect our financial situation, especially if we fail to successfully integrate the acquired business.

We intend to continue to pursue selective acquisitions of complementary businesses in the future. Inherent in any future acquisitions are certain risks such as increasing leverage and debt service requirements and combining company cultures and facilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, particularly during the period immediately following such acquisitions. Additional debt or equity capital may be required to complete future acquisitions, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to raise the required capital. Furthermore, acquisitions involve a number of risks and challenges, including:

 

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diversion of management’s attention;

 

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potential loss of key employees and customers of the acquired companies;

 

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an increase in our expenses and working capital requirements;

 

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failure of the acquired entities to achieve expected results;

 

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our failure to successfully integrate any acquired entities into our business; and

 

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our inability to achieve expected synergies and/or economies of scale.

These opportunities may also expose us to successor liability relating to actions involving any acquired entities, their respective management or contingent liabilities incurred prior to our involvement and will expose us to liabilities associated with ongoing operations, in particular to the extent we are unable to adequately and safely manage such acquired operations. These transactions may also be structured in such a manner that would result in our assumption of obligations or liabilities not identified during our pre-acquisition due diligence.

Any of these factors could adversely affect our ability to achieve anticipated cash flows at acquired operations or realize other anticipated benefits of acquisitions, which could adversely affect our reputation and have a material adverse effect on us.

We are not prohibited from incurring significantly more debt.

As of December 31, 2023, our total outstanding indebtedness was US$19,999.1 million, consisting of US$891.6 million of current loans and financings and US$19,107.6 million of non-current loans and financings. If we are unable to repay or refinance our current or non-current loans and financings as they mature, this would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition. The terms of the contracts governing our existing debt permit us to incur significant additional indebtedness in the future, including secured debt. We may borrow additional funds to fund our capital expenditures, working capital needs or other purposes, or to fund future acquisitions. In addition, under the terms of our existing debt, we are also permitted to incur significant additional short-term or long-term indebtedness, and our consolidated debt levels could increase. See “Description of Material Indebtedness.”

Covenant restrictions under debt agreements limit our ability to operate our business.

Our debt agreements contain, among other provisions, covenants that restrict our ability to finance future operations or capital needs or to engage in other business activities by limiting our ability to:

 

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incur additional indebtedness;

 

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create liens on or sell our assets;

 

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pay dividends on or redeem capital stock;

 

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make restricted payments;

 

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create or permit restrictions on the ability of subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other distributions;

 

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enter into transactions with affiliates; and

 

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engage in mergers, consolidations and certain dispositions of assets.

In addition, certain of our credit facilities require us and certain of our subsidiaries to maintain specified financial ratios and tests which may require that we or they take action to reduce debt or to act in a manner contrary to our business objectives. Events beyond our control, including changes in general business and economic conditions, may affect our ability to meet those financial ratios and tests.

We may not meet those ratios and tests, and our creditors may not waive any failure to meet those ratios and tests. A breach of any of these covenants or failure to maintain these ratios would result in an event of default under the relevant credit facility, and any such event of default or resulting acceleration under such credit facilities could result in an event of default under the indentures governing the notes and other debt agreements.

In addition, the covenant package in the indentures governing all of our notes and possibly future offerings are or will be “investment-grade” and do not or will not contain covenants that restrict our ability to incur debt, pay dividends, make investments or enter into transactions with affiliates, among other provisions.

Failure by us to achieve our sustainability performance targets may result in increased interest payments under future financings and harm to our reputation.

As described in “Description of Material Indebtedness—Material Indebtedness—Fixed-Rate Notes—Sustainability-Linked Bonds” and “—JBS S.A. Agribusiness Credit Receivable Certificates (Certificados de Recebíveis do Agronegócio)—Sustainability-Linked CRAs,” certain of our debt instruments contain certain sustainability performance targets of JBS S.A., JBS USA or PPC that if unsatisfied will result in an increase in the interest rate payable on the respective debt instruments. Achieving these sustainability performance targets or any similar sustainability performance targets we may choose to include in future financings or other arrangements will require us to expend significant resources. In 2021, we became the first major global meat and poultry company to set climate reduction goals by 2040. As part of these environmental aspirations, we signed on to the United Nations Global Compact’s Business Ambition for 1.5°C initiative, which aligns with the most ambitious aim of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming. While we are dedicated to working towards these climate reduction goals, they are ambitious and success in achieving these goals will require collaboration and alignment, as well as resources and efforts by experts, shareholders, customers, governments, and partners throughout our supply chain. Our goals will also require advanced technologies, tools, and solutions. The mere setting of these goals may subject JBS S.A. and its affiliates and, in some instances already have subjected JBS USA, to criticism, investigations, regulatory enforcement, litigation, or other risk. In addition, a failure by us to achieve these goals could harm our reputation, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

We are subject to interest rate fluctuations, which may be harmful to our business.

A portion of our debt is subject to interest rate fluctuations, including fluctuations in: (1) the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) and the Euro Interbank Offered Rate (“EURIBOR”) and (2) Brazilian financial market rates or inflation rates, such as the Interbank Deposit Certificate (Certificado de Depósito Interbancário) (“CDI”) and the Long-Term Interest Rate (Taxa de Juros de Longo Prazo) (the “Brazilian TJLP rate”) (Brazil’s long-term interest rate published quarterly by the Brazilian National Monetary Council). We are also exposed to exchange rate risk because we have assets and liabilities and future cash flows and earnings denominated in foreign currencies. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.” Fluctuations in exchange rates and interest rates are caused by a number of factors that are beyond our control.

 

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If interest rates, such as SOFR, EURIBOR, the CDI and Brazilian TJLP rates, or exchange rates increase significantly, our finance expenses will increase and our ability to obtain financings may decrease, which may materially adversely affect our results of operations.

Unfavorable decisions in legal, administrative, antitrust or arbitration proceedings and government investigations may adversely affect us.

We are defendants in legal, administrative, antitrust and arbitration proceedings arising from the ordinary conduct of our business, particularly with respect to civil, tax, labor and environmental claims, which may be decided to our detriment, and are involved in various government investigations. For more information regarding our proceedings and investigations, see “Information about JBS S.A.—Legal Proceedings.” In addition, we cannot guarantee that new lawsuits (judicial or administrative of any nature) or investigations against us, our ultimate controlling shareholders and managers will not arise.

Applicable laws and regulations could subject us and our managers to civil and criminal penalties, including debarment from contracts concluded with the public administration and prohibition to celebrating new ones and loss of fiscal benefits, which could materially and adversely affect our product sales, reputation, financial condition and results of operations. Adverse rulings that have material economic or reputational impacts on us or impede the execution of our growth plan may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, unfavorable decisions in proceedings or investigations involving us and our ultimate controlling shareholders and managers may affect our image and business.

For certain lawsuits, we were not required to and have not established any provision on our statement of financial position or have established provisions only for part of the amounts in dispute, based on our judgments as to the likelihood of winning these lawsuits. We cannot guarantee that the provisioned amounts (if any) will be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of the corresponding proceedings, which could adversely impact our business and operating results.

We may not be able to ensure that our raw material suppliers are in compliance with all applicable environmental and labor laws and regulations, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The raising of cattle and other livestock is at times associated with deforestation, invasion of indigenous lands and protected areas and other environmental and human rights concerns. Most of the cattle we process are bred and raised by our suppliers. If we are unable to ensure that the suppliers of the cattle we use in our production process are in compliance with all applicable environmental and human rights laws and regulations, we may be subject to fines and other penalties that may adversely affect our image, reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, the European Union has adopted a new regulation to curb the European Union market’s impact on global deforestation and forest degradation around the world, as well as protecting the rights of indigenous peoples. The European Union Deforestation Regulation (the “EUDR”) mandates extensive due diligence on the value chain for all operators and traders dealing with certain products derived from cattle, cocoa, coffee oil palm, rubber, soya and wood. Penalties for non-compliance will be laid down under national law, but must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive. In due course, the intention is for the EUDR to be subject to criminal penalties, but under the EUDR itself, penalties may include fines and confiscation of products, among other things. The EUDR entered into force on June 29, 2023, and its main obligations will be applicable in December 2024. If we are unable to ensure that we are in compliance with the EUDR, we may be subject to fines and other penalties. For more information about the EUDR, see “Information about JBS S.A.—Regulation—Europe—European Union Deforestation Regulation.”

Furthermore, Brazilian Environmental Policy Act, outlined in Federal Law No. 6,938/1981, regulates civil liability for damages caused to the environment and sets forth strict liability on the subject matter. Therefore, we may become party to environmental liability proceedings amongst any damage originator. As the majority of

 

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cattle processed by us are bred by third parties and subcontractors, we may be significantly impacted if third parties and subcontractors cause environmental damages in the implementation of their activities on our behalf.

We are subject to various risks relating to worker safety.

Given the nature of our operations, the type of work performed by our employees, and the number of plants and employees that we have throughout the world, we are subject to various risks relating to worker safety. We cannot ensure that accidents will not occur. If our efforts to improve worker safety and reduce the frequency and number of workplace accidents are not successful, we may become subject to lawsuits, regulatory or administrative investigations and inquiries, fines and penalties, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

For example, a U.S. House of Representatives Select Subcommittee held a hearing in December 2022 entitled “Preparing For And Preventing The Next Public Health Emergency: Lessons Learned From The Coronavirus Crisis.” This hearing was accompanied by a final report of the same name, which describes an investigation of the largest companies in the U.S. meatpacking industry, including our subsidiary JBS USA Food Company, in the context of the Trump Administration’s response to the risks faced by these companies’ workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. JBS USA Food Company has complied with the document requests made in 2021 as part of the investigation.

We may also suffer reputational harm due to the actions of unrelated companies that do not adhere to applicable worker safety laws in the provision of services to us. For example, the U.S. Department of Labor commenced an investigation into allegations of child labor at certain of our facilities in August 2022. While this investigation did not result in any finding that we were employing any underage workers at any of our facilities, a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order against one of our suppliers. While such supplier is not affiliated with us, the investigation found that it had used underage workers to provide cleaning and sanitation services in the fulfillment of sanitation and cleaning contracts that it was performing at JBS facilities. Such supplier has entered into a consent order and judgment pursuant to which it has agreed to comply with child labor laws at all of the facilities where it provides services.

Additionally, we have from time to time had incidents at our plants involving worker health and safety. These have included ammonia releases due to mechanical failures in chiller systems and worker injuries and fatalities involving processing equipment and vehicle accidents. We have taken preventive measures in response; however, we can make no assurance that similar incidents will not arise in the future. New environmental, health and safety requirements, stricter interpretations of existing requirements, or obligations related to the investigation or clean-up of contaminated sites, may materially affect our business or operations in the future.

While we adhere and require adherence from suppliers to all applicable worker safety laws throughout our global operations, no assurance can be given that we will not be materially adversely affected to the extent that companies that provide services to us do not demonstrate the same commitment to such laws. In addition, no assurance can be given that our reputation for worker safety will not be adversely affected by governmental investigations or other inquiries in the future.

We depend on our information technology systems, and any failure of these systems could adversely affect our business.

We depend on information technology systems for significant elements of our operations, including the storage of data and retrieval of critical business information, and within our supply chain. We also depend on our information technology infrastructure for digital marketing activities and for electronic communications among our locations, personnel, customers, and suppliers. Although our information systems are protected with robust backup systems, including physical and software safeguards and remote processing capabilities, our information technology systems and those of our supply chain are vulnerable to damage from a variety of sources, including

 

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network failures, malicious human acts, and natural disasters. Moreover, despite network security and back-up measures, some of our servers are potentially vulnerable to physical or electronic break-ins, computer viruses, and similar disruptive problems. In addition, certain software used by us is licensed from, and certain services related to our information systems are provided by, third parties who could choose to discontinue their relationship with us. Failures or disruptions to our information technology systems or those used by our third-party service providers could prevent us from conducting our general business operations, and adversely affect our ability to process orders, maintain proper levels of inventories, collect accounts receivable, pay expenses, and maintain the security of our company and customer data. Any disruption or loss of information technology systems on which critical aspects of our operations depend could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

For example, on May 30, 2021, we were the target of an organized cybersecurity attack (the “Cyberattack”), affecting some of the servers supporting our North American and Australian information technology systems. JBS USA’s backup servers were not affected. JBS USA and PPC’s operations in North America and Australia were affected. PPC’s operations in Mexico and the United Kingdom were not impacted and conducted business as normal. Upon learning of the intrusion, we contacted federal officials and activated our cybersecurity protocols, including voluntarily shutting down all affected systems to isolate the intrusion, limit the potential infection and preserve core systems. Restoring systems critical to production was prioritized. In addition, the encrypted backup servers, which were not affected by the Cyberattack, allowed for a return to full operations within two days. As of June 3, 2021, JBS USA and PPC had resumed production at all of their facilities. Our response, IT systems and encrypted backup servers allowed for a rapid recovery from the Cyberattack. As a result, the loss of food produced was limited to less than one day of production. We are not aware of any evidence that any customer, supplier or employee data had been compromised or misused as a result of the Cyberattack. Since the Cyberattack, we have been working to improve our cybersecurity posture in order to minimize our risk and attack surface. We have identified good practices we had in place before the Cyberattack, and we have identified and completed items and actions that were needed to remediate.

Further, we store highly confidential information on our information technology systems, including information related to our products. If our servers or the servers of the third party on which our data is stored are attacked by a physical or electronic break-in, computer virus or other malicious human action, our confidential information could be stolen or destroyed. Any security breach involving the misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure or use of confidential information of our suppliers, customers, or others, whether by us or a third party, could disrupt our operations, subject us to civil and criminal penalties, have a negative impact on our reputation, expose us to liability to our suppliers, customers, other third parties or government authorities and increase our cyber-security protection and remediation costs. Any of these developments could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if our supply chain cybersecurity is compromised as a result of third-party action, employee error, malfeasance, stolen or fraudulently obtained log-in credentials or otherwise, our business may be harmed and we could incur significant liabilities. We mitigate this risk by having a diversified supply chain. There can be no assurance that we will be able to prevent all of the rapidly evolving forms of increasingly sophisticated and frequent cyber-attacks. Moreover, our efforts to address network security vulnerabilities may not be successful, resulting potentially in the theft, loss, destruction or corruption of information we store electronically, as well as unexpected interruptions, delays or cessation of service, any of which would cause harm to our business operations. The vulnerability of our systems and our failure to identify or respond timely to cyber incidents could have an adverse effect on our operations and reputation and expose us to liability or regulatory enforcement actions.

The loss of members of our senior management or our inability to attract and retain qualified senior management personnel could have an adverse effect on us.

Our ability to maintain our competitive position depends in large part on the performance of our senior management team, mainly because of our business model and our acquisition strategy. As a result of factors such as strong global economic conditions, we may lose key employees or face problems hiring qualified key

 

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employees. In order to retain key employees, we may have to make significant changes in our compensation policy to remain competitive, which would increase our costs. There is no assurance that we will succeed in attracting and retaining qualified senior management personnel. Also, decisions in any administrative proceedings involving our current managers may prevent them from remaining in their positions at our company. The loss of the services of any member of our senior management or our inability to attract and retain qualified personnel could have an adverse effect on us.

Our performance depends on favorable labor relations with our employees and our compliance with labor laws. Any deterioration of those relations or increase in labor costs could adversely affect our business.

As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately 270,000 employees worldwide. Certain of these employees are represented by labor organizations, and our relationships with these employees are governed by collective bargaining agreements. We may not reach new agreements without union action and any such new agreements may not be on terms satisfactory to us. In addition, any new agreements may be for shorter durations than our historical agreements. Moreover, additional groups of currently non-unionized employees may seek union representation in the future. If we are unable to negotiate acceptable collective bargaining agreements, we may become subject to union-initiated work stoppages, including strikes. Any significant increase in labor costs, deterioration of employee relations, slowdowns or work stoppages at any of our locations, whether due to union activities, employee turnover or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Labor shortages and increased turnover or increases in employee and employee-related costs could have adverse effects on our profitability.

We and our third-party vendors have experienced increased labor shortages at some of our production facilities and other locations. Several factors have had and may continue to have adverse effects on the labor force available to us and our third-party vendors, including government regulations, which include laws and regulations related to workers’ health and safety, wage and hour practices and work authorization. Labor shortages and increased turnover rates within the Company and our third-party vendors have led to and could in the future lead to increased costs, such as increased overtime to meet demand and increased wage rates to attract and retain employees and could negatively affect our ability to efficiently operate our production facilities or otherwise operate at full capacity and could result in downtime of our production facilities. An overall or prolonged labor shortage, lack of skilled labor, increased turnover or labor inflation for any of the foregoing reasons could have a material adverse impact on our operations, results of operations, reputation, liquidity or cash flows.

The consolidation of a significant number of our customers could adversely affect our business.

Many of our customers, such as supermarkets, warehouse clubs and food distributors, have consolidated in recent years, and consolidation is expected to continue. These consolidations have produced large, sophisticated customers with increased buying power who are more capable of operating with reduced inventories, opposing price increases, and demanding lower pricing, increased promotional programs and specifically tailored products. These customers also may use shelf space currently used for our products for their own private label products that are generally sold at lower prices. In addition, in periods of economic uncertainty, consumers tend to purchase more lower-priced private label or other economy brands. To the extent this occurs, we could experience a reduction in the sales volume of our higher margin products or a shift in our product mix to lower margin offerings. Because of these trends, we may need to lower prices or increase promotional spending for our products. The loss of a significant customer or a material reduction in sales to, or adverse change to trade terms with, a significant customer could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Our ultimate controlling shareholders have influence over the conduct of our business and may have interests that are different from yours.

Our direct controlling shareholders are J&F and JBS Participações, which are in turn wholly owned by our ultimate controlling shareholders, Messrs. Joesley Mendonça Batista and Wesley Mendonça Batista. See “Principal Shareholders.”

Relatives of our ultimate controlling shareholders perform certain management and leadership roles at JBS S.A. and related companies. Mr. José Batista Sobrinho, the founder of JBS S.A. and the father of our ultimate controlling shareholders, serves as the Vice-Chairman of JBS S.A.’s board of directors and has served on the JBS S.A. board of directors since 2007. Mr. Wesley Mendonça Batista Filho, who is the son of Mr. Wesley Mendonça Batista and the grandson of Mr. José Batista Sobrinho, serves as the Chief Executive Officer of JBS USA since May 2023, and has served as an executive officer of JBS S.A. since 2017 and in other senior management positions in JBS Group companies in the past, including as Chief Executive Officer of Seara Alimentos. He also serves on the board of directors of various JBS Group companies. In addition, Mr. Henrique Mendonça Batista, who is also Wesley Mendonça Batista’s son, serves as the President of Huon, an Australian salmon processing company acquired by JBS S.A. in 2021. Messrs. Joesley Mendonça Batista and Wesley Mendonça Batista may serve as members of the board of directors of, or in other senior management positions at, JBS Group companies or affiliates. In February 2024, they were appointed to fill vacancies on the board of directors of PPC.

As further described elsewhere in this prospectus (see “Principal Shareholders—Civil and Criminal Actions and Investigations involving our Ultimate Controlling Shareholders” and “—We are subject to reputational risk in connection with U.S. and Brazilian civil and criminal actions and investigations involving our ultimate controlling shareholders, and these actions may materially adversely impact our business and prospects and damage our reputation and image”), in 2017, our ultimate controlling shareholders, among others, entered into collaboration agreements (acordos de colaboração premiada) (the “Collaboration Agreements”) with the Brazilian Attorney General’s Office (Procuradoria-Geral da República), and J&F, on behalf of itself and its subsidiaries, entered into a leniency agreement (the “Leniency Agreement”) with the Brazilian Federal Prosecution Office (Ministério Público Federal) following disclosures of certain payments made to Brazilian politicians from 2009 to 2015. Pursuant to the Leniency Agreement, J&F agreed to pay a fine of R$8.0 billion and contribute an additional R$2.3 billion to social projects in Brazil, each adjusted for inflation, over a 25-year period. The total fine was subsequently reduced to R$3.5 billion (equivalent to approximately US$723 million, converted using the foreign exchange rate as of December 31, 2023). In December 2023, the Brazilian Supreme Court (Supremo Tribunal Federal) justice overseeing the case suspended J&F’s obligation to make additional installment payments under the Leniency Agreement following a petition from J&F that cited potential misconduct by enforcement authorities in connection with entering into the Leniency Agreement. Notwithstanding the suspension of the fine, the Leniency Agreement otherwise remains in effect.

In 2020, J&F, JBS S.A., and our ultimate controlling shareholders (the “Respondents”) also entered into a settlement with the SEC relating to the circumstances and payments that were the subject of the Collaboration Agreements and Leniency Agreement. Pursuant to the SEC settlement and related order, the Respondents undertook, among other things, to improve anti-bribery and anti-corruption compliance programs, make progress reports to the SEC, and pay disgorgement and civil penalties. Also in 2020, J&F reached a plea agreement with the DOJ in which J&F pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in relation to the circumstances and payments that were the subject of the Collaboration Agreements and Leniency Agreement and agreed to pay a criminal penalty. The DOJ plea agreement also required J&F to implement a compliance program and improve its internal policies and to make progress and other reports to the DOJ. Since 2017, JBS S.A. and J&F have implemented numerous and material changes to their anti-corruption compliance policies intended to detect and prevent illicit payments and conduct throughout their operations, including the introduction of new policies and practices and the hiring of experienced professionals who have a track record of building effective compliance programs, all as further detailed in “Information about JBS S.A.—Compliance

 

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Program.” In addition, the terms of the above-referenced agreements with Brazilian authorities, the SEC and the DOJ provide strong disincentives to any violation of their terms. Our management and leadership teams are strongly committed to operating our business in compliance with anti-corruption principles and law. However, no assurance can be given that new and improved policies, practices and personnel will be effective to detect or prevent illicit activities in all cases.

In addition, our ultimate controlling shareholders may have an interest in causing us to pursue transactions that may enhance the value of their equity investments in us, even though such transactions may involve increased risks to us or the holders of our common shares. Furthermore, our ultimate controlling shareholders own, through J&F or other entities, equity investments in other businesses and may have an interest in causing us to pursue transactions that may enhance the value of those other equity investments, even though such transactions may not benefit us. Our ultimate controlling shareholders may also have an interest in pursuing new business opportunities through other companies which they own instead of us. Any of these transactions could result in conflicting interests between us and the other companies in which our ultimate controlling shareholders own. We cannot assure you that we will be able to address these conflicts of interests or others in an impartial manner.

There can be no assurance that the future actions or decisions of our direct controlling shareholders and our ultimate controlling shareholders will not impact our company and our prospects in ways that differ from your interests.

We are subject to reputational risk in connection with U.S. and Brazilian civil and criminal actions and investigations involving our ultimate controlling shareholders, and these actions may materially adversely impact our business and prospects and damage our reputation and image.

In 2017, following disclosures of certain payments made to Brazilian politicians from 2009 to 2015, our ultimate controlling shareholders, among others, entered into Collaboration Agreements with the Brazilian Attorney General’s Office (Procuradoria-Geral da República), and J&F, on behalf of itself and its subsidiaries, entered into a Leniency Agreement with the Brazilian Federal Prosecution Office (Ministério Público Federal). In 2020, our ultimate controlling shareholders also entered into a settlement with the SEC, and J&F reached a plea agreement with the DOJ relating to the circumstances and payments that were the subject of the Collaboration Agreements and Leniency Agreement. For more information about the facts and circumstances underlying these agreements, see “Principal Shareholders—Civil and Criminal Actions and Investigations involving our Ultimate Controlling Shareholders.” The Brazilian Collaboration Agreements and Leniency Agreement, the SEC order and the DOJ plea agreement have resolved the Brazilian and U.S. criminal legal exposure of JBS S.A, J&F and our ultimate controlling shareholders related to the conduct that was the subject of the Leniency Agreement. We are, and our ultimate controlling shareholders are and J&F have informed us that they are, in compliance with all of their applicable financial and non-financial obligations pursuant to the Brazilian Collaboration Agreements and Leniency Agreement, the SEC order and the DOJ plea agreement. A breach of any of these agreements could have an adverse effect on us.

In addition, our ultimate controlling shareholders and J&F were under investigation by the CVM in Brazil for alleged violations of Brazilian securities and corporate law, in which CVM has made final decisions. JBS S.A. and Seara (a subsidiary of JBS S.A.) were party to one of these proceedings. For more information about these investigations, see “Principal Shareholders—Civil and Criminal Actions and Investigations involving our Ultimate Controlling Shareholders—Other Investigations and Proceedings.”

As a result of the above-mentioned matters, the reputation of our direct controlling shareholders, our ultimate controlling shareholders and JBS S.A. has suffered and may continue to suffer. To the extent that the negative reputational impact of these events continues into the future, if pending investigations and proceedings are not resolved favorably to JBS S.A. and our ultimate controlling shareholders, or if future events or actions give rise to new investigations or proceedings, our ability to execute our business strategies, enter into beneficial transactions, partnerships or acquisitions, we may be materially negatively affected.

 

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Furthermore, we cannot guarantee that negative news and publicity (whether or not factually accurate) will not be released in the future that involve our company, JBS S.A., our direct controlling shareholders or our ultimate controlling shareholders. We also cannot be certain that any actions we take in response to a reputational crisis will be effective or sufficient. Actions or allegations (whether grounded or unfounded) regarding actions taken by third parties, including our direct controlling shareholders, our ultimate controlling shareholders, or our suppliers or partners, including, but not limited to, illegal acts or corruption, actions contrary to health or worker safety, or actions contrary to socio-environmental regulations, may materially adversely impact our reputation and image with our customers, suppliers and partners and the market, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and future prospects.

Media campaigns related to food production; regulatory and customer focus on environmental, social and governance responsibility; and increased focus and attention by the U.S. government and other stakeholders on the meat processing industry and ESG-related issues could expose us to additional costs or risks.

Individuals or organizations can use media platforms to publicize inappropriate or inaccurate stories or perceptions about the food production industry or our company. Such practices could cause damage to the reputations of our company, our ultimate controlling shareholders and/or the food production industry in general. This reputational damage could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Regulators, stockholders, customers and other interested parties have focused increasingly on the environmental, social and governance (“ESG”), practices of companies. This has led to an increase in regulations and may continue to cause us to be subject to additional regulations in the future. Our customers or other interested parties may also require us to implement certain procedures or standards that they perceive to be ESG-friendly before doing or continuing to do business with us. Also, the U.S. government has increased its focus on market dynamics within the meat industry. The U.S. government has inquired with the meat processing industry on matters such as market pricing to end consumers and the relationship between meat processors and the farming community. Increased attention on ESG-related practices could cause us to incur additional compliance costs, divert management attention from operating our business, impair our access to capital among certain investors and subject us to litigation risk for disclosures we make and practices we adopt regarding these issues. This in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Investor advocacy groups, investment funds and other influential investors are increasingly focused on our business practices and policies, especially as they relate to the environment, climate change, health and safety, supply chain management, diversity, labor conditions and human rights, both in our own operations and in our supply chain. Increased compliance costs related to these matters could result in material increases to our overall operational costs. In any event, our business practices may not meet the standards of all of our stakeholders and, accordingly, advocacy groups may campaign for further changes. Even if we do not agree with the positions of such advocacy groups or other influential parties, the perception of our failure to adapt to or comply with their demands, or to respond to investor or stakeholder expectations and, could negatively impact us.

Our business and reputation could be materially adversely impacted by an increased regulatory burden and the impact of actions by governmental entities, advocacy groups and other stakeholder actions to the extent that such actions call into question our business practices and policies. See also “—Risks Relating to the Markets in Which We Operate—Compliance with existing or changing environmental requirements relating to current and/or discontinued operations may result in significant costs, and failure to comply may result in civil liabilities for damages as well as criminal and administrative sanctions.”

Risks Relating to the Markets in Which We Operate

Deterioration of global economic conditions could adversely affect our business.

Our business may be adversely affected by changes in global economic conditions, including changes in GDP, inflation, interest rates, availability of capital, consumer spending rates, energy availability and costs

 

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