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Tyson to suspend operations at largest pork plant indefinitely due to coronavirus pandemic

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Tyson Foods Inc. confirmed on Wednesday that they would be suspending operations at their largest pork plant indefinitely.

The facility located in Waterloo, Iowa, has been running at reduced levels of production from workers being absent due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

“Protecting our team members is our top priority and the reason we’ve implemented numerous safety measures during this challenging and unprecedented time,” said Steve Stouffer, group president of Tyson Fresh Meats. “Despite our continued efforts to keep our people safe while fulfilling our critical role of feeding American families, the combination of worker absenteeism, COVID-19 cases and community concerns has resulted in our decision to stop production.”

The company stated employees affected by the closure would be compensated while the plant remains closed.
The decision was made after the company was forced to shut down a separate hog slaughterhouse in Iowa after some employees tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
In January, Tyson Fresh Foods formed a coronavirus task force in an attempt to protect workers and the facility from an outbreak. The increase in cases forced the plant to close.

Tyson Fresh Meats, the beef, and pork subsidiary of Tyson Foods, Inc., said a reopening date would depend on “a variety of factors, including the outcome of team member testing for COVID-19.” The plant is planning on testing its 2,800 employees later in the week.

Last week the largest pork processor in the nation, Smithfield Foods, close its Sioux Falls plant after hundreds of their employees tested positive for COVID-19. The president and CEO warned of “severe, perhaps disastrous” consequences from the closures.

“The closure of this facility, combined with a growing list of other protein plants that have shuttered across our industry, is pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply,” Kenneth M. Sullivan, of Smithfield, said in a media release earlier this month.

 

Smithfield reported this plant alone accounted for “4 to 5 percent” of the entirety of U.S. pork production.

Abu Sillah is Business Owner from Prince George's County, MD. He serves as the CEO of The DMV Daily and Marketing Manager of The Wig Cafe. Outside of business and media, Abu is a middle school teacher and Promotions Assistant for RadioOne DC. He has a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and an M.A. from Bowie State University. Abu is very passionate about 3 things: media, working with kids and uplifting others,

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