Whistleblower: Cows Collapsing on Trucks in Sweltering Heat at JBS Slaughterhouse; PETA Asks Police to Intervene

For Immediate Release:
July 16, 2026

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

PETA has received a whistleblower complaint alleging that transport trucks arriving at JBS Grand Island slaughterhouse are made to wait as long as six or more hours before unloading, leaving cows trapped in hot metal trailers and causing many of them to collapse. In response, PETA today sent a letter to Grand Island Chief of Police Kevin Denney urging him to assign law enforcement personnel to monitor the trucks for animals showing signs of heat stress and file charges if any violations of Nebraska’s Livestock Animal Welfare Act are found.

PETA previously contacted JBS directly and filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Agriculture after reports from other whistleblowers indicated animals were suffering as long as 10 hours or more on trucks in all weather extremes at this slaughterhouse. Despite these notices, reports continue to indicate that cows are being left to suffer for hours on parked trucks in extreme weather.

“Terrified, miserable cows have reportedly been dropping from extreme heat and cold at JBS for years,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA is calling on Grand Island officials to put a stop to this egregious torment and urges everyone to please go vegan to spare cows from suffering in slaughterhouses in the first place.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and fear, a cow is a dog is a boy. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help anyone thinking of making the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Denney follows.

July 16, 2026

To:          Kevin Denney, Chief of Police, Grand Island Police Department

From:     Colin Henstock, Associate Director of Project Strategy, PETA

Re:      Apparent Violations of Nebraska’s Livestock Animal Welfare Act

at JBS Grand Island

Dear Chief Denney:

Your attention is urgently and respectfully requested. PETA has received a complaint alleging potential violations of Nebraska law at JBS Grand Island, located at 555 S. Stuhr Rd., Grand Island, NE 68801.

We’ve been told that cattle transport trucks (which arrive at times scheduled by the plant) are made to park along S. Stuhr Road and wait for as long as six or more hours in all weather extremes before they’re finally unloaded. The cows reportedly suffer in the metal trailers without relief from the dangerous heat, and last week many collapsed during the prolonged wait in temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. We’ve been told that the extended wait times typically occur during the evenings on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

This recent report is the fourth that PETA has received about the issue. Previous whistleblowers reported that wait times in extreme weather can reach 10 hours or more. PETA has complained to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and to the company itself, but we continue to hear from complainants that the animals are being left to suffer for hours on parked trucks. We also understand from other incidents that FSIS considers animals on trucks parked outside of slaughterhouses to be out of their jurisdiction.

The allegations, if true, may constitute violations of Neb. Rev. Stat. § 54-903, which prohibits cruelly neglecting a livestock animal. “Cruelly neglect” is defined as “fail[ing] to provide a livestock animal in one’s care, whether as owner or custodian, with feed, water, or other care as is reasonably necessary for the livestock animal’s health.” The alleged conduct does not conform to the commonly accepted animal welfare practices that are exempt from prosecution, as the Beef Quality Assurance Transportation Manual emphasizes the importance of limiting the time cows spend on trailers during periods when heat stress may occur.

PETA respectfully requests that Grand Island Police Department personnel monitor the trucks parked along the plant for any animals who display symptoms of heat stress and, if any violations of Nebraska’s Livestock Animal Welfare Act are found, file all appropriate charges against those responsible.

Thank you for your time and consideration and for the important work that you do.

Sincerely,

Colin Henstock

Associate Director of Project Strategy

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)