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" worker safety guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and that "unnecessary" plant closures can have a big impact on the meat supply chain. The worker safety guidelines the president pointed to were only issued on Sunday, well after a lot of plants announced temporary or indefinite closures in response to coronavirus outbreaks among workers. Sponsor Message A statement from Smithfield Foods on Wednesday said it "applauds Trump Administration for taking decisive action to invoke emergency powers," and that, "across all its facilities, the company is providing team members with abundant personal protective equipment, including masks and face shields, has implemented mass thermal scanning and installed physical barriers on its production floors and in break areas."

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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 …

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 …

Coronavirus in Victoria shutdown of meat processors not a threat to meat supplies, industry says
4 years, 5 months ago

Coronavirus in Victoria shutdown of meat processors not a threat to meat supplies, industry says

ABC  

The shutdown of meat processors in Victoria because of COVID-19 cases among abattoir workers will not affect meat supplies for consumers, industry figures say. Key points: More than 300 cases of COVID-19 in Victoria are currently linked directly to outbreaks in meat processing plants Although there have been supply chain disruptions internationally due to abattoirs shutting, experts say Australia wouldn't …

German meat factory to resume work after coronavirus outbreak
4 years, 5 months ago

German meat factory to resume work after coronavirus outbreak

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 Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

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 …

Coronavirus: Why are there so many outbreaks at meat factories?
4 years, 6 months ago

Coronavirus: Why are there so many outbreaks at meat factories?

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Meat factories and slaughterhouses are locations where people are …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.” …

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 …

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 …

Coronavirus lockdown | Police won’t harm farmers, govt. tells Supreme Court
4 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus lockdown | Police won’t harm farmers, govt. tells Supreme Court

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court on Wednesday recorded in its order the government’s undertaking that farmers and agricultural workers would not be harassed by the police and the authorities during the lockdown. A Bench, led by Justice N.V. Ramana, was hearing a petition filed by activist Swami Agnivesh, represented by senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, that the authorities were tormenting farm workers and …

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 …

Colorado meatpacking plant closed for coronavirus testing
4 years, 8 months ago

Colorado meatpacking plant closed for coronavirus testing

Associated Press  

DENVER — A major meatpacking plant in Colorado will be closed until April 24 while its owner, JBS USA, works with state and federal authorities to arrange coronavirus testing for its 5,000 workers, sanitize the plant and adopt other measures to combat the virus after at least two workers died, the company said Monday. Jared Polis told reporters he had …

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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