The meat processing industry continues to reel under the coronavirus onslaught, with the leading meatpackers’ union claiming that more than 5,000 workers have been infected by or exposed to the virus, and 100 federal inspectors also testing positive.
The United Food and Commercial Workers union organized a conference call April 23 to press for more protective gear and other measures to help workers through the crisis. The union made the claim on the call that 5,000 workers had been exposed and 13 had died from COVID-19.
“As far as social distancing, it’s almost impossible. There’s no room,” said a worker in a JBS pork plant on the conference call, as quoted by Reuters.
The USDA has announced that 100 of its safety inspectors have tested positive for the coronavirus. The agency acknowledges that it has had difficulty procuring enough protective masks for its employees, but says they must continue to do on-site inspections to ensure the safety of the nation’s meat supply.
One problem is that inspectors often travel to multiple plants. “A traveling inspector bringing in the disease is our biggest worry,” a Kansas rancher told Bloomberg. The agency says it is “minimizing movement” of inspectors to try to stop the spread of infection.
