Dozens of U.S. meat processing plants have been forced to close temporarily as the industry struggles to contain the spread of the coronavirus among employees who often stand side by side while cutting and packaging beef, pork and poultry.
Restaurant closures due to the coronavirus have contributed to an estimated $5 billion in losses this year for the U.S. pork industry, and almost overnight millions of hogs stacking up on farms now have little value.
Major meat companies, including Smithfield, Tyson, Cargill and JBS, said they also relaxed their attendance and sick leave policies to encourage sick workers to stay home and allow them to be paid. The North American Meat Institute trade group says companies are sharing information about their safety practices to help the industry respond to the outbreak.
“They were constructed to have people stand next to each other and work, and that’s very difficult to change,” he said.Edgar Fields, president of the Southeast Council of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents thousands of poultry workers, said it’s hard to know if the precautions at plants will protect workers.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dozens of Health Care Workers Sing Sweet TributeThe employee choir at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center sang a cover of “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars from nearly 30 locations.
Read more »
Meat shortage looms as coronavirus shuts packing plants, leaving farmers with tough choicesWhile consumers face the prospect of meat shortages as coronavirus-ravaged packing plants shut down across the country, farmers are bracing for tough choices...
Read more »
USDA inspector dies as coronavirus spreads in meat packing plants.A U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector tasked with ensuring safe food at meatpacking plants died Thursday after testing positive for COVID-19.
Read more »
Las Vegas mayor: Desert heat could curb coronavirusLas Vegas Mayor Goodman says Southern Nevada's extreme summer heat could be key to curbing coronavirus — insisting her city should be a 'control group' for ending stay-at-home orders, despite widespread criticism this week.
Read more »
We went inside the GM plant making coronavirus face masks. Here's what it looked likeIn less than a week, GM converted 31,000 square feet of a 2.7 million-square-foot facility from producing transmissions to face masks.
Read more »
Workers Sue Smithfield Foods, Allege Conditions Put Them At Risk For COVID-19783 workers at a Smithfield Foods plant in South Dakota have tested positive for COVID-19 — and two have died. Now workers at another plant are suing, alleging that working conditions contribute to the spread of the virus.
Read more »