LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A zoning board denied a request by JBS USA to expand a slaughterhouse in the neighborhood of Butchertown, which lies just east of downtown Louisville, Ky., according to local media reports.

An attorney for the company, which is a subsidiary of the São Paulo, Brazil-based JBS S.A., said the expansion was needed to comply with federal safety regulations and to ensure humane handling of the hogs processed at the slaughterhouse, according to
courier-journal.com.

But an attorney for the Butchertown Neighborhood Association alleged that JBS was trying to bypass customary review procedures, saying the company had not been cited for any violations regarding workplace safety or humane animal handling.

JBS plans to present the Metro Board of Zoning Adjustment with a revised development plan, according the Courier-Journal report.