Please try another search
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A shopper picks over the few items remaining in the meat section, as people stock up on supplies amid coronavirus fears, at an Austin, Texas
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Major meat companies in the United States and Canada have closed plants temporarily due to cases of the new coronavirus and concerns about its spread.
Here are some facilities that have shut or reduced production:
* JBS USA [JBS.UL] shut a beef plant in Souderton, Pennsylvania, until April 16, after previously cutting production.
* JBS reduced production a beef plant in Greeley, Colorado, due to high absences among workers, according to the local United Food and Commercial Workers union. The company said high absenteeism led slaughter rates to outpace the process of cutting carcasses into pieces.
* National Beef Packing Co [NBEEF.UL] suspended cattle slaughtering at a beef plant in Tama, Iowa, for a cleaning and planned to resume on April 13.
* Aurora Packing Company closed a beef plant in Aurora, Illinois, said Brad Lyle, chief financial officer for U.S. commodity firm Kerns and Associates. A security officer at the plant said it was closed due to the pandemic. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
* Harmony Beef in Alberta, Canada, shut its cattle slaughter operations on March 27 for two days, after a worker tested positive for the new coronavirus, prompting some federal inspectors to stay away from the site.
* Cargill Inc (CARG.UL) closed a plant in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, that produces meat for U.S. grocery stores.
* Tyson Foods Inc (N:TSN) shut a hog slaughterhouse in Columbus Junction, Iowa, the week of April 6 after more than 24 cases of COVID-19 involving employees at the facility.
* Smithfield Foods, the world’s biggest pork processor, on Sunday said it is shutting a pork plant indefinitely and warned that plant shutdowns are pushing the United States “perilously close to the edge” in meat supplies for grocers.
* An Olymel pork plant in Yamachiche, Quebec, shut on March 29 for two weeks, after nine workers tested positive for the coronavirus.
* Maple Leaf Foods (TO:MFI) suspended operations on April 8 at its Brampton, Ontario poultry plant, following three COVID cases among workers at that facility.
* Sanderson Farms Inc (O:SAFM) reduced chicken production to 1 million birds a week from 1.3 million at a plant in Moultrie, Georgia.
Are you sure you want to block %USER_NAME%?
By doing so, you and %USER_NAME% will not be able to see any of each other's Investing.com's posts.
%USER_NAME% was successfully added to your Block List
Since you’ve just unblocked this person, you must wait 48 hours before renewing the block.
I feel that this comment is:
Thank You!
Your report has been sent to our moderators for review
Add a Comment
We encourage you to use comments to engage with other users, share your perspective and ask questions of authors and each other. However, in order to maintain the high level of discourse we’ve all come to value and expect, please keep the following criteria in mind:
Enrich the conversation, don’t trash it.
Stay focused and on track. Only post material that’s relevant to the topic being discussed.
Be respectful. Even negative opinions can be framed positively and diplomatically. Avoid profanity, slander or personal attacks directed at an author or another user. Racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination will not be tolerated.
Perpetrators of spam or abuse will be deleted from the site and prohibited from future registration at Investing.com’s discretion.