Meat plant workers to Trump: Employees aren’t going to show up
4 years, 8 months ago

Meat plant workers to Trump: Employees aren’t going to show up

CNN  

New York CNN Business — Meat-processing plant workers are concerned about President Donald Trump’s executive order that compels plants to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic. “All I know is, this is crazy to me, because I can’t see all these people going back into work,” said Donald, who works at Tyson’s Waterloo, Iowa, facility. “We’re going to sign an executive order today, I believe, and that’ll solve any liability problems,” Trump said on Tuesday. “I just don’t know how they’re going to do it when there are people dying and getting really sick,” said an employee of Tyson’s Independence, Iowa, plant.

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History of this topic

Meat industry made ‘baseless’ claims of Covid shortages to press Trump to keep plants open, report says
2 years, 7 months ago

Meat industry made ‘baseless’ claims of Covid shortages to press Trump to keep plants open, report says

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy American meat producers used “baseless” claims of potential meat shortages …

USDA unveils plan to help build small meat processing plants
3 years, 5 months ago

USDA unveils plan to help build small meat processing plants

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The federal government promised Friday …

Smithfield Foods meatpackers approve new union contract
3 years, 6 months ago

Smithfield Foods meatpackers approve new union contract

Associated Press  

— The union representing workers at the Smithfield Foods plant in Sioux Falls said Friday its members have voted in favor of a new contract. Union leaders say the new contract sends a message to the meatpacking industry that companies need to recognize the sacrifices its employees made during the coronavirus pandemic. Motley, president of the Union Food and Commercial …

Union considers strike at meat plant that was virus hotspot
3 years, 7 months ago

Union considers strike at meat plant that was virus hotspot

Associated Press  

— Workers at a South Dakota meatpacking plant that became a coronavirus hotspot last year are considering a strike after contract negotiations between Smithfield Foods and the union have stalled, the union said Wednesday. The Sioux Falls chapter of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union threatened to move for a walkout and work stoppage if the Virginia-based company does …

Meat producer JBS says expects most plants working Wednesday
3 years, 7 months ago

Meat producer JBS says expects most plants working Wednesday

Associated Press  

CANBERRA, Australia — A ransomware attack on the world’s largest meat processing company disrupted production around the world just weeks after a similar incident shut down a U.S. oil pipeline. Brazil’s JBS SA, however, said late Tuesday that it had made “significant progress” in dealing with the cyberattack and expects the “vast majority” of its plants to be operating on …

Trump Wanted Meatpacking Plants To Run Faster. Biden Is Slowing Them Down.
3 years, 7 months ago

Trump Wanted Meatpacking Plants To Run Faster. Biden Is Slowing Them Down.

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Former President Donald Trump helped meatpacking companies speed up the production lines inside their plants to process more animals, despite worries it could lead to more injuries for workers. The pork industry suffered a setback this week when President Joe Biden’s Agriculture Department said it would comply with a court ruling invalidating key parts of a Trump-era …

US lacks mandatory safety measures to protect meat workers from COVID-19: media
4 years, 3 months ago

US lacks mandatory safety measures to protect meat workers from COVID-19: media

China Daily  

Butchers at Old Fashion Country Butcher process meat as they work to meet increased demand due to COVID-19 related shortages on May 21, 2020 in Santa Paula, California. NEW YORK -- The United States "has yet to impose any mandatory safety measures" on meat plants to protect their workers from contracting COVID-19, issuing only voluntary guidelines, Bloomberg reported Monday. The …

Smithfield Foods pork plant faces OSHA fine from outbreak
4 years, 3 months ago

Smithfield Foods pork plant faces OSHA fine from outbreak

Associated Press  

— Federal regulators said Thursday they have cited Smithfield Foods for failing to protect employees from exposure to the coronavirus at the company’s Sioux Falls plant, an early hot spot for virus infections that hobbled American meatpacking plants. She blamed coronavirus infections in Sioux Falls for causing the outbreak at the plant Employees at the plant have said Smithfield did …

Meat packing plants become the latest Covid-19 hotbeds
4 years, 6 months ago

Meat packing plants become the latest Covid-19 hotbeds

CNN  

Llangefni, Wales CNN — In the picturesque market town of Llangefni on the Welsh island of Anglesey, almost all the shops are closed and the town is empty amid the ongoing lockdown. There have been so many outbreaks in meat packing factories around the world that scientists are now examining whether the environment inside the plants could be part of …

Germany reports 650 new coronavirus cases in a meat processing plant
4 years, 6 months ago

Germany reports 650 new coronavirus cases in a meat processing plant

CNN  

CNN — Germany is racing to stop a new coronavirus outbreak after 650 workers at a slaughterhouse in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia tested positive for Covid-19. Coronavirus outbreaks in plants in Dissen in Lower Saxony and Coesfeld in North Rhine-Westphalia last month shone light on the poor working and living conditions the industry’s predominantly foreign workers are subjected …

Slaughterhouses have to better protect employees against coronavirus, Minister says
4 years, 7 months ago

Slaughterhouses have to better protect employees against coronavirus, Minister says

NL Times  

Slaughterhouses must take measures themselves to protect their employees against the coronavirus and make sure that they can do their work safely, Minister Carola Schouten of Agriculture and Food Quality said after consultation with the meat sector. Schouten met with the meat sector after 147 of the 657 employees at Vion slaughterhouse and meat processor in Groenlo tested positive for …

Worker shortage concerns loom in immigrant-heavy meatpacking
4 years, 7 months ago

Worker shortage concerns loom in immigrant-heavy meatpacking

Associated Press  

— When Martha Kebede’s adult sons immigrated from Ethiopia and reunited with her in South Dakota this year, they had few work opportunities. Lacking English skills, the brothers took jobs at Smithfield Foods’ Sioux Falls pork plant, grueling and increasingly risky work as the coronavirus sickened thousands of meatpacking workers nationwide. A plan to add 35,000 seasonal workers — which …

Dutch meat processing plant closed as 45 workers test positive for Covid-19
4 years, 7 months ago

Dutch meat processing plant closed as 45 workers test positive for Covid-19

Dutch News  

There are strong indications that coronavirus will lead to more slaughterhouse and meat factory closures in the Netherlands, FNV spokesman John Klijn has told the AD, following news of a second outbreak at a Vion plant in the south. The Groenlo plant, which processes organic pork, was closed on Wednesday after health and safety officials withdrew because of the coronavirus …

Dutch meat processing plant closed as 45 workers test positive for Covid-19
4 years, 7 months ago

Dutch meat processing plant closed as 45 workers test positive for Covid-19

Dutch News  

There are strong indications that coronavirus will lead to more slaughterhouse and meat factory closures in the Netherlands, FNV spokesman John Klijn has told the AD, following news of a second outbreak at a Vion plant in the south. The Groenlo plant, which processes organic pork, was closed on Wednesday after health and safety officials withdrew because of the coronavirus …

Covid Is Accelerating the Rise of Faux Meat
4 years, 7 months ago

Covid Is Accelerating the Rise of Faux Meat

Wired  

As with toilet paper and cleaning products, you probably didn’t fully appreciate meat until the coronavirus pandemic snatched it away. Companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat skip the livestock entirely: Their factories convert plant material into a striking imitation of real meat. For instance, a Beyond Meat spokesperson says that compared with a quarter-pound US beef burger, its same-sized …

Meat plant workers have a message for you (opinion)
4 years, 7 months ago

Meat plant workers have a message for you (opinion)

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Alice Driver is a freelance journalist whose work focuses on migration, human rights and gender equality. Alice Driver Luis_Garvan I’ve spent the past few months interviewing essential workers in the southern United States, primarily in Arkansas, who are instrumental to feeding this country. In an executive order signed in April, President Donald Trump deemed the workers, mostly immigrants …

Coronavirus: Iowa meatpacking plant reopens despite more than 1,000 cases among workers
4 years, 7 months ago

Coronavirus: Iowa meatpacking plant reopens despite more than 1,000 cases among workers

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A Tyson Foods meatpacking …

Some Meatpackers Question New COVID-19 Safety Guidelines
4 years, 7 months ago

Some Meatpackers Question New COVID-19 Safety Guidelines

NPR  

Some Meatpackers Question New COVID-19 Safety Guidelines toggle caption Christina Stella/NET Radio Thousands of meatpacking workers across the country were recently ordered back to work in plants that have seen massive outbreaks of COVID-19. And while Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has promised the agency is "working round the clock" to implement OSHA's recent pandemic safety guidelines for meatpackers, many are …

Coronavirus outbreak at Tyson pork-processing plant infected 1,031 workers, officials say
4 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus outbreak at Tyson pork-processing plant infected 1,031 workers, officials say

LA Times  

Workers leave the Tyson Foods pork processing plant in Logansport, Ind. Local officials say the coronavirus outbreak at a Tyson Foods pork-processing plant in Iowa infected more than 1,000 workers, a far greater number than the state or company has acknowledged. Black Hawk County health officials said Thursday that they have identified 1,031 workers at the Waterloo plant who have …

The Latest: Tyson Foods to reopen pork plant in Iowa
4 years, 8 months ago

The Latest: Tyson Foods to reopen pork plant in Iowa

Associated Press  

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. —South Korea reports only two new fresh cases of coronavirus —Tyson Foods to reopen pork processing plant in Iowa that was closed by coronavirus outbreak among workers. ___ NEW DELHI — Indian authorities have decided to shut down liquor shops in Mumbai, India’s financial capital which is the worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic, …

Tyson’s will reopen its biggest pork plant after a Covid-19 outbreak
4 years, 8 months ago

Tyson’s will reopen its biggest pork plant after a Covid-19 outbreak

CNN  

Raleigh, North Carolina CNN Business — Tyson Foods says its largest US pork plant will reopen Thursdayafter a major coronavirus outbreak forced the company to shut down the facility two weeks ago. The Black Hawk County health department linked the Waterloo Tyson plant to 182 of the county’s Covid-19 cases on April 21. Tyson also said it has doubled its …

Some meat plants reopen, but Trump order may not be cure-all
4 years, 8 months ago

Some meat plants reopen, but Trump order may not be cure-all

Associated Press  

— Signs Friday that several big meatpacking plants will soon reopen might appear to support President Donald Trump’s assertion that he had “solved their problems” in keeping grocery stores’ coolers stocked during the coronavirus crisis. A Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in South Dakota where more than 850 workers tested positive will partially reopen Monday after shuttering for more than …

Nearly 900 workers at Indiana meat plant test positive for coronavirus as food shortage fears grow
4 years, 8 months ago

Nearly 900 workers at Indiana meat plant test positive for coronavirus as food shortage fears grow

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The number of reported …

Despite Trump executive order, meat-processing plants struggle to stay open
4 years, 8 months ago

Despite Trump executive order, meat-processing plants struggle to stay open

CNN  

CNN — Days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at keeping meat-processing facilities open amid the coronavirus pandemic, plants across the country are scrambling to balance worker safety with pressure from the federal government to remain operational. Top Department of Labor officials said in a statement about the order that “good faith attempts” to comply with the …

New Testing; 30 Million Unemployed : Consider This from NPR : NPR
4 years, 8 months ago

New Testing; 30 Million Unemployed : Consider This from NPR : NPR

NPR  

Federal Stay-At-Home Guidance Ends; A Potential New Test For COVID-19 Enlarge this image toggle caption Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images This episode was recorded and published as part of this podcast's former 'Coronavirus Daily' format. A potential new kind of test for COVID-19 could be simpler and cheaper to use than existing tests. Using the …

Meatpackers welcome Trump order; others question virus risks
4 years, 8 months ago

Meatpackers welcome Trump order; others question virus risks

Associated Press  

— Big meatpacking companies that have struggled to keep plants running during the coronavirus crisis said Wednesday that they welcomed President Donald Trump’s executive order requiring them to stay open, but unions, some employees and Democrats questioned whether workers could be kept safe. Trump, who consulted with industry leaders before issuing the order, said it would relieve “bottlenecks” that the …

Trump order keeping meat packing plants open worries unions
4 years, 8 months ago

Trump order keeping meat packing plants open worries unions

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump took executive action to order meat processing plants to stay open amid concerns over growing coronavirus cases and the impact on the nation’s food supply. Trump on Tuesday said the order would address what he described as a “legal roadblock.” It will “solve any liability problems where they had certain liability problems and we’ll be …

US records more than 1 million cases of coronavirus as Donald Trump orders meat plants to stay open
4 years, 8 months ago

US records more than 1 million cases of coronavirus as Donald Trump orders meat plants to stay open

ABC  

The number of confirmed US coronavirus cases has topped 1 million, representing almost a third of the global total. Key points: Modelling suggests more than 74,000 people will die in the US by August 4 Modelling suggests more than 74,000 people will die in the US by August 4 New York state has the most coronavirus cases in the country …

How giant Tyson Foods helped create the meat shortage it now warns against
4 years, 8 months ago

How giant Tyson Foods helped create the meat shortage it now warns against

LA Times  

In an April photo provided by Tyson Foods, workers wear protective masks and stand between plastic dividers at the company’s Camilla, Ga., poultry processing plant. John Tyson, the billionaire whose family business reigns as the largest meat processor in the U.S., took out ads in national newspapers to complain about a “breaking” food supply chain. “It’s also affected thousands of …

The real reason Trump treats meatpacking workers as disposable (opinion)
4 years, 8 months ago

The real reason Trump treats meatpacking workers as disposable (opinion)

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Raul A. Reyes is an attorney and a member of the USA Today board of contributors. Raul A. Reyes CNN Tuesday, he used the Defense Production Act to order meat and poultry processing plants to stay open, despite the coronavirus pandemic. “We’re working very hard,” Trump said, “to make sure our food supply chain is sound and plentiful.” …

Workers Scared As Trump Orders Meat Plants To Open During Coronavirus Crisis
4 years, 8 months ago

Workers Scared As Trump Orders Meat Plants To Open During Coronavirus Crisis

NPR  

Workers Scared As Trump Orders Meat Plants To Open During Coronavirus Crisis Enlarge this image toggle caption David Zalubowski/AP David Zalubowski/AP President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to keep meatpacking plants in the U.S. open during the coronavirus pandemic. The president's executive order to keep the plants open notes that some of the plant closures "may be inconsistent with" …

Trump Orders Meatpacking Plants To Stay Open
4 years, 8 months ago

Trump Orders Meatpacking Plants To Stay Open

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING President Donald Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act to force meat processing plants operated by Tyson Foods and other major suppliers to stay open even as the coronavirus spreads among workers. The president’s executive order, signed Tuesday evening, hands oversight powers to the Department of Agriculture “to determine the proper nationwide priorities and allocation of all …

Coronavirus US: Meat shortages possible 'by end of the WEEK'
4 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus US: Meat shortages possible 'by end of the WEEK'

Daily Mail  

Grocery stores could see meat shortages by the end of this week, according to experts, after least 13 plant staff died from COVID-19 and 5,000 called out sick. Grocery stores could see meat shortages by the end of this week after least 13 plant staff died from COVID-19 and 5,000 called out sick. The chairman of Tyson Foods warned that …

Trump orders meat processing plants to stay open
4 years, 8 months ago

Trump orders meat processing plants to stay open

CNN  

Washington CNN — President Donald Trump signed an executive order under the Defense Production Act to compel meat processing plants to remain open amid the coronavirus pandemic. Tyson Foods spokesman Gary Mickelson wouldn’t comment on the order because the company had not seen it, but said: “We can tell you our top priority remains the safety our team members and …

Meat shortages may be coming at grocery stores soon. Here’s why
4 years, 8 months ago

Meat shortages may be coming at grocery stores soon. Here’s why

CNN  

New York CNN Business — The coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc on the supply chain, hitting everyone from farmers to automakers to retailers. “We definitely can see shortage of products in the grocery stores,” said Jeff Sindelar, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences with an expertise in meat processing. There’s “no question” …

Virus is expected to reduce meat selection and raise prices
4 years, 8 months ago

Virus is expected to reduce meat selection and raise prices

Associated Press  

DES MOINES, Iowa — Meat isn’t going to disappear from supermarkets because of outbreaks of the coronavirus among workers at U.S. slaughterhouses. On Sunday, the meat processing giant Tyson Foods ran a full-page “This means one thing — the food supply chain is vulnerable,” the statement said. “As pork, beef and chicken plants are being forced to close, even for …

One of America’s biggest meat processors warns ‘the food supply chain is breaking’ in open letter
4 years, 8 months ago

One of America’s biggest meat processors warns ‘the food supply chain is breaking’ in open letter

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. John Tyson, the chairman of Tyson Food, says …

Tyson Foods warns that ‘the food supply chain is breaking’ as plants close
4 years, 8 months ago

Tyson Foods warns that ‘the food supply chain is breaking’ as plants close

CNN  

New York CNN Business — Tyson Foods is warning that “millions of pounds of meat” will disappear from the supply chain as the coronavirus pandemic pushes food processing plants to close, leading to product shortages in grocery stores across the country. “The food supply chain is breaking,” wrote board chairman John Tyson in a full-page US farmers don’t have anywhere …

U.S. meat processing plants face huge challenge in curbing coronavirus spread
4 years, 8 months ago

U.S. meat processing plants face huge challenge in curbing coronavirus spread

LA Times  

Workers wear protective masks and stand between plastic dividers at Tyson Foods’ Camilla, Ga., poultry processing plant. The closures shouldn’t cause any immediate meat shortages or big price jumps at supermarkets, but as Purdue University economist Jason Lusk noted, “It’s a very fluid and volatile situation to keep an eye out for in the days to come.” Food Coronavirus puts …

Stopping virus a huge challenge at crowded US meat plants
4 years, 8 months ago

Stopping virus a huge challenge at crowded US meat plants

Associated Press  

— Daily reports of giant meat-processing plants closing because workers tested positive for the coronavirus have called into question whether slaughterhouses can remain virus-free. Kim Reynolds, whose state leads the nation in pork production, acknowledged the likelihood of “clusters of positive cases” at meat-processing plants but said the operations must remain open. “The scary thing is you know if it …

Tyson Foods idles largest pork plant as virus slams industry
4 years, 8 months ago

Tyson Foods idles largest pork plant as virus slams industry

Associated Press  

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Tyson Foods suspended operations Wednesday at an Iowa plant that is critical to the nation’s pork supply but was blamed for fueling a massive coronavirus outbreak in the region. In Texas, state health investigators said Wednesday they have identified 114 cases of COVID-19 “associated” with a JBS Beef plant and are working to determine whether there’s …

States work to keep meat plants open despite virus outbreaks
4 years, 8 months ago

States work to keep meat plants open despite virus outbreaks

Associated Press  

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Governors in the Midwest are working to keep large meatpacking plants operating despite coronavirus outbreaks that have sickened hundreds of workers and threaten to disrupt the nation’s supply of pork and beef. “We recognize JBS Worthington is critical to local hog producers, the U.S. food supply and the many businesses that support the facility.” Iowa’s governor …

Officials implore Tyson to close plant amid virus outbreak
4 years, 8 months ago

Officials implore Tyson to close plant amid virus outbreak

Associated Press  

DES MOINES, Iowa — More than a dozen Iowa elected officials on Friday implored Tyson Fresh Meats to close their Waterloo pork processing plant, saying the coronavirus is spreading among workers and is endangering both employees and the surrounding community. “Our hope was that in a time of crisis when we’re all made equal that we would inherently do the …

Tyson Foods says 2 dead after virus outbreak at Iowa plant
4 years, 8 months ago

Tyson Foods says 2 dead after virus outbreak at Iowa plant

Associated Press  

DES MOINES, Iowa — Two employees have died following a coronavirus outbreak that has sickened scores of Tyson Foods workers at a large pork plant in southeastern Iowa, the company said Wednesday. She also had a call scheduled with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and was inquiring with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control “to see if they can provide …

Virus closes some meat plants, raising fears of shortages
4 years, 8 months ago

Virus closes some meat plants, raising fears of shortages

Associated Press  

— Some massive meat processing plants have closed at least temporarily because their workers were sickened by the new coronavirus, raising concerns that there could soon be shortages of beef, pork and poultry in supermarkets. Tyson, Cargill and other major meat processing companies say they are adopting several measures: taking the temperature of everyone entering plants, adding clear plastic shields …

Meat plants are closing. But you don’t have to panic shop
4 years, 8 months ago

Meat plants are closing. But you don’t have to panic shop

CNN  

New York CNN Business — Across the country, meat processors are temporarily shutting down as workers are getting infected with Covid-19. “I don’t think the shutdowns so far have been enough to be noticeable” to consumers, said Steve Meyer, an economist with commodity firm Kerns and Associates. “We can draw on that should we have some shortages.” Smithfield and other …

U.S. Meat Supply Is 'Perilously Close' To A Shortage, CEO Warns
4 years, 8 months ago

U.S. Meat Supply Is 'Perilously Close' To A Shortage, CEO Warns

NPR  

U.S. Meat Supply Is 'Perilously Close' To A Shortage, CEO Warns Enlarge this image toggle caption Stephen Groves/AP Stephen Groves/AP Updated at 2:25 p.m. And the company's CEO warned that the coronavirus pandemic is pushing the nation's meat supply "perilously close" to the edge. Sponsor Message "The closure of this facility, combined with a growing list of other protein plants …

Meat Processing Plants Suspend Operations After Workers Fall Ill
4 years, 9 months ago

Meat Processing Plants Suspend Operations After Workers Fall Ill

NPR  

Meat Processing Plants Suspend Operations After Workers Fall Ill Enlarge this image toggle caption Ryan J. Foley/AP Ryan J. Foley/AP Several meat processing plants around the U.S. are sitting idle this week because workers have been infected with the coronavirus. Tyson Foods, one of the country's biggest meat processors, says it suspended operations at its pork plant in Columbus Junction, …

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