Pilgrim's Pride (PPC) Risk Analysis

Our operations are and are expected to remain affected by federal, state and local governmental legislation and regulation, including in the health, safety and environmental areas. Changes in laws or regulations or the application thereof regarding areas such as wage and hour and environmental compliance may lead to government enforcement actions and potential litigation by private litigants. In addition, new laws and regulations, unforeseen developments, or stricter interpretations of existing laws or regulations may also materially affect our business or operations in the future. For example, the USDA amended the Packers and Stockyards Act to require new disclosures that live poultry dealers must provide to contract growers. Immigration Immigration reform continues to attract significant attention in the public arena and the U.S. Congress. Despite our past and continuing efforts to hire only U.S. citizens and/or persons legally authorized to work in the U.S., we cannot guarantee that all of our employees and contractors are persons legally authorized to work in the U.S. There is no certainty that enforcement efforts by governmental authorities will not disrupt a portion of our workforce or operations at one or more facilities, which could negatively impact our business. For example, we have historically increased headcounts in certain facilities to avoid disruptions to our operations. Also, no assurance can be given that further enforcement efforts by governmental authorities will not result in the assessment of fines or other increases in cash outlays that could adversely affect our financial position, operating results or cash flows. Environmental, Health and Safety Our operations are subject to extensive federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations pertaining to the protection of the environment, including those relating to the discharge of materials into the environment, the handling, treatment and disposal of wastes, and the remediation of soil and groundwater contamination. Certain regulations have become increasingly stringent over time. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in criminal as well as civil and administrative penalties, claims for property damage, personal injury and damage to natural resources. Additionally, adverse publicity could arise from regulatory actions. Compliance with existing or changing environmental requirements, including potentially more stringent limitations imposed or expected to be imposed in recently-renewed or soon to be renewed environmental permits, may require capital expenditures for installation of new or upgraded pollution control equipment at some of our facilities. Operations at many of our facilities involve the treatment and disposal of wastewater, stormwater and agricultural and food processing wastes, the use and maintenance of refrigeration systems, including ammonia-based chillers, noise, odor and dust management, the operation of mechanized processing equipment, and other operations that potentially could affect the environment, health and safety. Some of our facilities have been operating for many years were built before current environmental standards were imposed, and/or are in areas that have recently experienced increased residential and commercial development pressures. Failure to comply with current and future applicable environmental, health and safety standards could result in fines and penalties, and we have previously been subject to such sanctions. We are upgrading wastewater treatment facilities at a number of these locations, either pursuant to consent agreements with regulatory authorities or on a voluntary basis in anticipation of future permit requirements. In the past, we have acquired businesses with operations such as pesticide and fertilizer production that involved greater use of hazardous materials and generation of more hazardous wastes than our current operations. While many of those operations have been sold or closed, some environmental laws impose strict and, in certain circumstances, joint and several liability for costs of investigation and remediation of contaminated sites on current and former owners and operators of the sites, and on persons who arranged for disposal of wastes at such sites. In addition, current owners or operators of such contaminated sites may seek to recover cleanup costs from us based on past operations or contractual indemnifications. 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. Anti-Corruption We are subject to a number of anti-corruption laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") and the U.K. Bribery Act ("UKBA"). The FCPA and similar anti-bribery laws generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments or improperly providing anything of value to foreign officials, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business and/or other benefits. Some of these laws have legal effect outside the jurisdictions in which they are adopted under certain circumstances. The FCPA also requires maintenance of adequate record-keeping and internal accounting practices to accurately reflect transactions. Under the FCPA, companies operating in the U.S. may be held liable for actions taken by their strategic or local partners or representatives. The UKBA is broader in scope than the FCPA in that it directly prohibits commercial bribery (i.e. bribing individuals or organizations other than government officials) in addition to bribery of government officials and it does not recognize certain exceptions, notably for facilitation payments, that are permitted by the FCPA. The UKBA also has wide jurisdiction. It covers any offense committed in the U.K., but proceedings can also be brought if a person who has a close connection with the U.K. commits the relevant acts or omissions outside the U.K. It defines a person with a close connection to include British citizens, individuals ordinarily resident in the U.K. and bodies incorporated in the U.K. The UKBA also provides that any organization that conducts part of its business in the U.K., even if it is not incorporated in the U.K., can be prosecuted for the corporate offense of failing to prevent bribery by an associated person, even if the bribery took place entirely outside the U.K. and the associated person had no connection with the U.K. Other jurisdictions in which we operate have adopted similar anti-corruption, anti-bribery and anti-kickback laws to which we are subject. Civil and criminal penalties may be imposed for violations of these laws. Despite our ongoing efforts to ensure compliance with the FCPA, the UKBA and similar laws, there can be no assurance that our directors, officers, employees, agents, third-party intermediaries and the companies to which we outsource certain of our business operations, have previously complied or will comply with those laws and our anti-corruption policies or that our compliance program will be sufficient to prevent or detect bribery, and we may be ultimately held responsible for any such non-compliance. If we or our directors or officers violate anti-corruption laws or other laws governing the conduct of business with government entities (including local laws), we or our directors or officers may be subject to criminal and civil penalties or other remedial measures, which could harm our reputation and have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Any actual or alleged violations of such laws could also harm our reputation or have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.