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Trump signs executive order to keep meat plants open

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WASHINGTON — President Trump on Tuesday evening signed an executive order to keep meat processing plants open, invoking the Defense Production Act to classify meat plants as essential infrastructure.

“It is important that processors of beef, pork, and poultry (“meat and poultry”) in the food supply chain continue operating and fulfilling orders to ensure a continued supply of protein for Americans,” the White House said in a statement.  “However, outbreaks of COVID-19 among workers at some processing facilities have led to the reduction in some of those facilities’ production capacity.  In addition, recent actions in some States have led to the complete closure of some large processing facilities… Such closures threaten the continued functioning of the national meat and poultry supply chain, undermining critical infrastructure during the national emergency.”

At least 20 meatpacking plants have closed due to COVID-19 outbreaks among workers, according The Washington Post, which also cited a claim by the United Food and Commercial Workers union that at least 17 workers at meat processing plants have died of the disease.

Smithfield Foods Inc. on Wednesday expressed its support for the Administration’s move, arguing that the executive order, together with guidance from such federal agencies as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, “would provide a much-needed framework that prioritizes employee health and well-being, while also stabilizing the country’s food supply and preventing the collapse of the agricultural economy.”

The company said it is evaluating next steps to open its currently shuttered facilities and will make announcements when it is ready to resume operations in each location. Information on Smithfield’s COVID-19 response can be found here.

Tyson Foods has also argued that meat processing plants and other food suppliers have a critical role to play in the nation’s health and well being.

“We have a responsibility to feed our country,” company chairman John Tyson wrote in a full page ad that appeared in the Sunday New York Times. “It is as essential as health care. This is a challenge that should not be ignored. Our plants must remain operational so that we can supply food to our families in America.”


ECRM_06-01-22


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