Trump orders meat processing plants to stay open

On April 28, President Donald Trump told media outlets that he would use the authority under the Defense Production Act to order the nation’s meat processing plants to stay open with an executive order labeling them as “critical infrastructure.”

The order, which he signed later that same day, will also mandate that the federal government will provide additional protective gear for employees and guidance. It will also include shields for companies against any legal liability from worker claims of inadequate protections from the virus.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue released a statement following the signing of the order, stating that keeping meat and poultry processing facilities open during the COVID-19 national emergency is the right thing for the nation’s agriculture industry.

“I thank President Trump for signing this executive order and recognizing the importance of keeping our food supply chain safe, secure, and plentiful,” the statement read. “Our nation’s meat and poultry processing facilities play an integral role in the continuity of our food supply chain.” He added that maintaining the health and safety of those employees is paramount in order to keep those critical facilities open and the food supply uninterrupted. USDA will continue to work with the CDC, OSHA, FDA and state and local officials.

Trump gave bullets from the five-page order during an Oval Office meeting with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that was open to reporters. The U.S. Department of Labor is also working with the administration on guidance that will detail which employees who work at these facilities should remain home, and which are part of populations most vulnerable to the coronavirus. As of this week, 20 meatpacking and processing workers have died from the coronavirus and at least 6,500 have been affected, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

In recent weeks, the novel coronavirus pandemic has spread to more rural areas that are home to the meatpacking industry. Companies in more than a dozen states have had to close at least 22 beef, pork, poultry and fish processing facilities due to employees testing positive for the virus, and for additional sanitation efforts. That’s a 25% reduction in pork slaughter capacity and 10% reduction in beef slaughter capacity according to the UFCWU, the union that covers the packing industry.

Reports out of the White House to media outlets are that there is concern that processing plants may only be able to keep 20% of their facilities open in the face of the coronavirus. A reduction of capacity by 80% could have catastrophic on the entire food system in the country. Agricultural economists have warned that if plants continue to shut down at this pace, consumers will see the effects at their grocery stores starting in May with fewer items in the cases.

Keeping workers safe and chains moving

On April 26, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration provided additional guidance to processing plants on keeping lines going while providing for worker safety against the coronavirus. The recommendations—not mandatory safety rules—give state and local governments information to continue to keep plants operating in rural communities where they are major employers, and better protect against the further spread of COVID-19 in communities. The North American Meat Institute stated that the industry will continue to implement the measures, including: testing employees for the virus, checking temperatures of employees, increasing the use of face coverings and social distancing employees where possible. Many Meat Institute members are also raising pay, offering bonuses and providing paid sick leave and increasing health benefits to support their employees, according to the organization.

Industry responses are split, from those lauding the measure to keep critical infrastructure open to reduce the log jam of live animals ready for processing at farms and feeding operations, to those who are still concerned that this measure doesn’t do enough to protect public health.

“Processing plants are important to cattle producers and consumers, but they also provide an important tax base for rural America and are an important provider of jobs and income in small communities across the nation,” said NCBA CEO Collin Woodall.

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association President Robert McKnight, Jr., said in a statement, “Though fears of a shortage were largely unfounded, rumors can be self-perpetuating and cause over-buying of a product out of panic. Today’s action by the Trump administration should go a long way toward easing consumer fear as well as prevent additional economic strain on the cattle producers who supply the beef processors.”

National Farmers Union President Rob Larew said in a statement that while NFU recognizes these facilities are critical to farmers’ livelihoods and national food security, the organization is concerned that not enough is being done to protect workers’ health and that in the long-term the economic model is flawed.

“That being said, such efforts should not occur at the expense of meat plant workers,” Larew stated. Workers must have immediate access to PPE and other safeguards in the plants, expanded access to testing and treatment, paid sick leave to keep them incentivized to stay home if they are sick, he stated.

“But in the longer-term, we need to completely rethink this economic model. Both the abuses that workers are enduring as well as the disruptions farmers and consumers are experiencing are a direct result of extreme consolidation in the meat industry,” Larew stated. NFU has been calling for antitrust enforcement and greater oversight of the packing industry for years, he continued and the hope is that this crisis compels Congress and the White House to address the issue of market power in the ag industry.

Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached at 620-227-1807 or [email protected].