SÃO PAULO — Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) announced the approval of Minerva Foods’ acquisition of 13 facilities from Marfrig Global Food S.A.

The operations in the deal include 11 cattle slaughter and deboning plants in Brazil along with one plant in Argentina and one in Chile. 

The antitrust regulator in Brazil blocked the sale of Minerva’s Pirenopolis facility. In its investor relations statement about the deal, Minerva said that plant has been closed since 2010 and does not plan to reopen the establishment. 

Both companies told their investors they expect to close the transaction by the end of October. 

The framework agreement for this deal was announced in August 2023, when Minerva Foods announced it would buy some 16 meat processing plants from Marfrig for $1.5 billion.

The original acquisition included processing plants in Uruguay, but regulators blocked those sites in May.

With the acquisition, Minerva would have beef plants in Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Colombia. The meat processor also exports its product to five continents.

Marfrig holds a stake in BRF S.A., a global food company. In 2018, the company acquired Kansas City, Mo.-based National Beef Packing Co. LLC.