best practices for an essential business to remain
in operation,” Anton said.
An estimated 25% of U.S. pork processing
capacity has been closed or idled due to
reduced operating speed over the past two
days, said Steve Meyer, an economist with Kerns
and Associates in Ames, Iowa.
As a result, prices are starting to increase and
analysts warn that customers could soon see
shortages of certain products at grocery stores.
At the same time, hog prices are plummeting
due to excess supply, devastating farmers.
In Kansas, a critical beef production state, an
official said Wednesday that 168 meatpacking
workers had tested positive to date. In Missouri,
two rural counties that are home to several
meatpacking plants reported huge spikes
in infections.
Tyson Fresh Meats President Steve Stouffer
said its Waterloo closure was driven by “the
combination of worker absenteeism, COVID-19
cases and community concerns.” He warned
of “significant ramifications” for farmers,
distributors and grocers in the supply chain.
Tyson said workers would be compensated
during the shutdown and that the timing of
reopening would depend on several factors,
including testing.
Local officials, including Waterloo Mayor
Quentin Hart and the Black Hawk County Board
of Health, had called on Tyson or Republican
Gov. Kim Reynolds to temporarily close the
plant. They had warned that its continued
operation would exacerbate the spread of the
virus in the area and that the company was
endangering its workers.