US meatpacking facilities running at 95% capacity
Calling meatpacking workers “heroes”, US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has said beef processing facilities are now operating at 98% of last year’s capacity.
Pork facilities are operating at 95% and poultry facilities are operating at 98% of their capacity. The businesses were strongly affected by outbreaks of coronavirus towards the start of the pandemic. Factories were temporarily closed, which affected the supply chain, leading President Donald Trump to sign an executive order to keep them open.
“President Trump took decisive action to ensure America’s meatpacking facilities reopen in a safe way to ensure America’s producers and ranchers will be able to bring their product to market,” said Mr Perdue.
“I want to thank the patriotic and heroic meatpacking facility workers, the companies, and the local authorities for quickly getting their operations back up and running and for providing a great meat selection once again to the millions of Americans who depend on them for food."
At least 44 meatpacking workers in the US have died from covid-19 and another 3,000 have tested positive, according to an estimate released on May 28 by the United Food and Commercial Workers union.
