Tyson Foods suspended operations at an
Iowa plant that is critical to the nation’s pork
supply but was blamed for fueling a massive
coronavirus outbreak in the region.
The Arkansas-based company said the closure
of the plant in Waterloo would deny a vital
market to hog farmers and further disrupt U.S.
meat supply. Tyson had kept the facility, its
largest pork plant, open in recent days over the
objections of alarmed local officials.
The plant can process 19,500 hogs per day,
accounting for 3.9% of U.S. pork processing
capacity, according to the National Pork Board.