[ad_1]
Meat production in the US USA It has continued to decline as the coronavirus crisis forces the closure of more processing facilities, raising fears of shortages in supermarkets across the country.
The weekly report from the US Department of Agriculture. USA He found that as of April 27, meat production fell nearly 25% compared to the same period last year. Pork production decreased by 15%.
While Sonny Perdue, the agriculture secretary, said the United States has “plenty of food for everyone [its] citizens “, fewer pigs are slaughtered in processing plants, up to 50% less since mid-March.
Meat processing companies have discontinued operations as some workers have tested positive for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Last month, Tyson Foods, one of the largest meat producers in the United States, warned that “the food supply chain is breaking” in a full-page ad in newspapers like the New York Times.
“There will be a limited supply of products,” the Arkansas-based company said, until it can reopen the closed facilities.
Tyson temporarily suspended operations at its meat processing plant outside Sioux City, Iowa on Thursday after more than 900 workers tested positive for the coronavirus.
The company said it would close for the weekend for a deep cleanup. The facility is one of the largest meat plants in the country and employs about 4,300 people.
An analysis by USA Today and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting found that at least 4,400 workers had tested positive for the virus at 80 plants, causing 28 to close for at least one day.
According to United Food and Commercial Workers’ international unions, at least 20 workers have died.
“I wouldn’t say that the food system is breaking down, but at least the meat sector is in a really serious and critical situation right now,” Jayson Lusk, head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University, told USA Today. .
However, there were some signs on Friday that some meat packing plants may be reopening. A Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in South Dakota, where more than 850 workers tested positive, will partially reopen Monday after closing for more than two weeks, a union representing workers at the plant said Friday.
Arkansas-based Tyson Foods said its Logansport, Indiana pork processing plant, where about 900 employees tested positive, will also resume “limited production” on Monday.
Donald Trump tried to curb the impending shortage, signing an executive order on Tuesday declaring that meatpacking plants are “critical” to staying open.
However, legal experts said the order is unlikely to slow the decline, as it does not compel meat producers to remain in production and does not give employers immunity from lawsuits.
Still, Perdue told Bloomberg on Thursday that he expected the order to reopen the meatpacking plants within “days, not weeks.”
“There will be somewhat less production, some inefficiency based on line speeds, some employees who will not be able to return to work,” he said. “We want to assure workers and the community of their safety.”
Fear of meat shortages has prompted shoppers to look for alternatives to retail supermarkets. Restaurants and food service providers have reported the shortage as processors switch to selling directly to consumers.
Shoppers are stocking up, but experts warn that panic buying will only exacerbate the shortage.
“[Americans] they have often faced higher prices for beef and pork products, or in some circumstances, near-empty meat cases, “Democratic Senators Mike Lee and Amy Klobuchar wrote in a letter to the United States Department of Justice. States and the Federal Trade Commission.
The senators asked the police to investigate the meat supply chain.
