Pork plant’s closure will cause ‘significant ramifications’ to supplies, Tyson says
“Significant ramifications” are in store forTyson Foods with the closing of its largest pork plant because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The company said in a release that it will indefinitely halt production at the pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa, starting the middle of this week. It’s operating at “reduced levels” due to worker absences.
“Despite our continued efforts to keep our people safe while fulfilling our critical role of feeding American families, the combination of worker absenteeism, COVID-19 cases and community concerns has resulted in our decision to stop production,” Steve Stouffer, group president of Tyson Fresh Meats, said in the release.
The closing of the plant will have “significant ramifications” on the supply chain, including hundreds of farmers, truckers, distributors and customers, including grocery stores, the company says.
“It means the loss of a vital market outlet for farmers and further contributes to the disruption of the nation’s pork supply,” the release says.
The Waterloo plant is responsible for 4% of the country’s pork processing capacity and can process about 19,500 hogs a day, The Associated Press reports.
The plant isn’t the only one that has shuttered during the pandemic.
Meatpacking plants across the country are closing production as coronavirus continues its spread and infects and kills workers at facilities experiencing outbreaks, McClatchy News reported.
Experts have said supply has been able to hold on despite loss of production thus far, but that it won’t last long.
“You could shut multiple plants down for a day or two, and we’ve got wiggle room to handle that,” Glynn Tonsor, Kansas State University agriculture economist, told the AP. “But if you took four or five of those big plants ... and they had to be down for two weeks, then you’ve got a game changer.”
Tyson says all 2,800 workers at the Waterloo plant will be able to come back to the plant later this week to be tested for COVID-19.
The outcome of the testing, along with other factors, will be considered in the decision to resume production. Additionally, the company says all affected employees will continue to be compensated while the closure lasts.
The meatpacking giant says its other meat processing plants are continuing to operate, but some are under reduced production levels.
This story was originally published April 22, 2020 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Pork plant’s closure will cause ‘significant ramifications’ to supplies, Tyson says."
