BROOKS, Alberta – Employees at XL Foods, Inc., returned to work Oct. 29 at the troubled Brooks, Alberta beef processing plant at the center of the largest beef recall in Canadian history.

Greeley, Colo.-based JBS USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Brazil-based JBS SA, reached an agreement with XL Foods to manage the plant with an exclusive option to buy additional XL Foods properties in the near-term.

XL Foods was allowed to resume processing beef under enhanced oversight by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The CFIA lifted the suspension on the company’s operations license, which allowed the plant to progressively resume beef slaughter and processing operations under CFIA surveillance and increased testing protocols.