ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Smithfield Foods, a Virginia-based meat processing company, has reached a $2 million settlement with Minnesota after they were accused of employing underage workers. According to a statement from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry on Nov. 14, an on-site inspection was conducted at the Smithfield facility in St. James, Minnesota, on April 13, 2023. After the inspection, the department claimed that Smithfield had 11 children -- between the ages of 14 and 17 -- employed at the facility between April 13, 2021, and April 13, 2023. "Smithfield contested DLI’s claims and denies that we knowingly hired anyone under the age of 18 to work in our St. James facility," the company's own Nov. 14 statement reads. "We have not admitted liability as part of this settlement; however, in the interest of preventing the distraction of prolonged litigation, we have agreed to settle this matter." The settlement agreed to by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Smithfield Foods requires the company to pay $2 million to the department within 30 days. The settlement also requires Smithfield to follow a number of further compliance and reporting requirements. "It is unacceptable for a company to employ minor children to perform hazardous work late at night. This illegal behavior impacts children's health, safety and well-being and their ability to focus on their education and their future," said Nicole Blissenbach, commissioner of the department. "DLI's resolution with Smithfield sends a strong message to employers, including in the meat processing industry, that child labor violations will not be tolerated in Minnesota." According to the department, the $2 million administrative penalty is the largest penalty it has recovered in a child labor enforcement action. Smithfield Foods, Inc. was originally founded in Smithfield, Va., in 1936 as the Smithfield Packing Company.