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How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Exposed Some of the Meat Industry’S Vulnerabilities

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How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Exposed Some of the Meat Industry’S Vulnerabilities theISSUES How the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed some of the meat industry’s vulnerabilities. by Peter Thomas Ricci, managing editor he numbers are stark: As of estimating that losses could reach But even amidst those varied late April, at least 80 meat $13.6 billion. Those groups say the efforts, the scope of COVID-19 is processing plants had re- Trump administration’s $19 billion overwhelming: In the first two weeks Tported workers who tested positive farm bailout will help, but it won’t be of April, there were 1.14 million new for the COVID-19 virus; 20 plants enough to stop the bleeding. diagnoses of the virus, with 37% of had ceased operations, sidelining By the time this issue of Meating- them in the United States; as of late more than 24,000 workers; millions place lands on your desk, the situation April, there were 1.8 million cases of chickens had been culled; and may well have changed for the better. worldwide, with 41.7% of those in closures by Smithfield Foods, Tyson Ninety-five percent of Americans the U.S.; and since the start of the Foods, JBS and others had eliminat- were under stay-at-home orders, outbreak, there have been nearly ed roughly 25% of pork and 10% of which was contributing to a 200,000 deaths, including more beef processing capacity, spurring decline in new COVID-19 cases. than 52,000 in the U.S. Accord- more plant closures and creating Meat processors were imple- ing to Virginia Pitzer of the Yale crushing bottlenecks on hog and cat- menting preventive measures, School of Medicine, periodic tle farms. Hog farmers, the National such as taking employee tem- To view a map of social distancing measures Pork Producers Council (NPPC) peratures, installing protective all meat plants may have to continue until a said, stood to lose $5 billion in 2020. partitions between workers, and affected by COVID-19 vaccine is developed For the cattle industry, the outlook deep cleaning plants. Addition- COVID-19, click and mass produced, which will Reuters by was even worse, with the Nation- ally, companies were boosting here: meatm. happen — at the earliest — in Photo al Cattlemen’s Beef Association pay and offering bonuses. ag/mcovid19 spring 2021. UNMASKEDmeatingplace.com May 2020 27 theISSUES A bus stop sits empty outside of Smithfield’s Sioux City, S.D., Images pork plant after a COVID-19 outbreak forced its closure in April. Getty OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS NOT PREPARED FOR COVID-19 BECAUSE OF THE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE ON PREVENTION. Despite the enormity of COVID-19, touch those surfaces — and then touch are not powerless in the face of COVID-19. and its considerable uncertainty, the their eyes, nose, or mouth before washing Explains Dr. Thomas E. Elam, the presi- virus has revealed some certainties. their hands — they can then be infected dent of industry consultancy FarmEcon Among them are these: One, the virus themselves. Furthermore, one can con- LLC, processors have numerous options has destabilized the nation’s meat indus- tract the virus if they inhale droplets from for combatting the virus’ spread. Some, try to an unprecedented degree; and two, a person who coughs or exhales. like checking temperatures and using such a disruption provides the industry Essentially, COVID-19’s transmission masks, already are used in many plants. with the opportunity to examine its is dependent on close proximity and Elam says, however, that those mea- vulnerabilities and work to fix them. physical contact. Packing industry vet- sures are inadequate by themselves. To This begins with the critical juncture erans, like Mike Callicrate, the owner of fully protect workers and maintain plant of meat processing and healthcare, and Callicrate Cattle Co. in St. Francis, Kan., productivity, weekly testing for both the considers the pitfalls of the industry’s say that makes modern meat plants ideal virus and antibodies is necessary, but own structure. spaces for the virus’ spread. that is where processors run headfirst “How do we social distance in a plant into a wall: the U.S. healthcare system. ‘YOU CAN’T BELIEVE HOW EASY THIS IS’ designed to have 4,000 workers shoul- “We don’t really have the capacity According to the World Health Organiza- der-to-shoulder, producing 400 animals to do that right now,” Elam says. “You tion, COVID-19 is an infectious disease per hour? It doesn’t work,” Callicrate says. have to be exhibiting symptoms today that is primarily transmitted when an in- “COVID is here saying, ‘I’ve got people before a public health agency will test fected person coughs, sneezes or speaks. who love to get together in close proximi- you ... routine testing of people who are Those actions generate droplets, which ty. I’ve got big slaughterhouses. I’ve got big otherwise well is not happening, because are too heavy for the air and fall onto processing plants.’ COVID is saying, ‘You we don’t have the capacity to process that floors or surfaces within one meter of the can’t believe how easy this is.’” many samples. There are hundreds of infected person. Should someone then Meat and poultry processors, however, thousands of workers in all these meat 28 meatingplace.com May 2020 We’re just 6 feet away. Like you, we at Poly-clip are being very careful to keep our distance. But rest assured, we’re working around the clock to support you in your essential role. We’ll be here to keep you up and running, now and always. / polyclip.com theISSUES production plants. Trying to do that on a weekly basis would swamp the system.” That shortcoming comes as no surprise to William Hsiao, the K.T. Li Research Professor of Economics at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who has played key roles in designing healthcare systems from Taiwan to South Africa. The U.S. system, he says, is especially ill-pre- pared for the COVID-19 pandemic. “The United States has a fragmented healthcare system with many parts that don’t work together — that particularly shows in prevention as well as continuity of healthcare,” Hsiao says. “Our healthcare Employees at Tyson’s system is not prepared for COVID-19 be- Camilla, Ga., plant work cause of the governance structure on pre- between plastic partitions to prevent the spread of vention. We have a decentralized system in COVID-19. which each state, city and even down to the Courtesy of Tyson Foods Meat • Dairy • Bakery • Deli • Snack • Grocery SAFE. SANITARY. SMART. FDA-Approved select-grade papers from PPI include patty & cheese slice interleaving, picking paper, bulker or roll stock paper, sheeted wax paper or steak paper. Our patented Safe-Pak Wrap protects patty paper from contaminants, using no cardboard or paper tape. Call us or visit our website today! NO CARDBOARD. NO TAPE. NO PROBLEMS. 800 • 782 • 1703 www.pattypaper.com theISSUES town may have some function on preven- where the vulnerable link is the labor tion. [The Centers for Disease Control side, which could affect multiple plants and Prevention] is a central government simultaneously,” says Peel, who teaches function, but they don’t have offices [in] YOU CAN KEEP agricultural economics at Oklahoma State every city and town. They have to get the University. “Most of these kinds of things cooperation of the local governments.” FEEDING THEM, that have happened have been things like So the kind of weekly testing for which plant fires, and that’s pretty targeted.” Elam advocates is, by Hsiao’s diagnosis, OBVIOUSLY. THE Furthermore, Peel says the pandemic is not possible in the U.S.’ patchwork of TROUBLE IS, placing a spotlight on the sprawling geog- healthcare systems. Hsiao believes the raphy of farms and processing plants. situation would be different if the U.S. had ECONOMICALLY, “We’re spread all over the country,” Peel a functioning universal healthcare system. says of the cattle sector. “So, in some of those CAN YOU areas ... there may or may not be a feasible ‘WE’VE NEVER HAD A SITUATION LIKE THIS’ way to shift that production somewhere The plant closures and labor shortages AFFORD TO else. So, it can be devastating, in that there is that have resulted from COVID-19 have, DO THAT? simply no place [for a producer] to go.” for economist Derrell Peel, created histor- Past disruptions, Peel says, have been ic challenges for the U.S. meat industry. handled internally. For instance, in Au- “We’ve never had a situation like this, gust 2019, when Tyson Foods’ Holcomb, Visit us at Anuga 2018, Germany, Hall 8 Booth C-051 and Pack Expo 2018 Chicago, Booth S-2071 n Reduce labor n Hygienic and sanitary design n Multiple lanes for increased throughput n Independent lane count n Allen-Bradley Controls Laning,Laning, DivertingDiverting andand Conveying Conveying EquipmentEquipment Hamburger • Sausage • Turkey • Fish Patties (952) 882-6211 • www.forpak.com 32 meatingplace.com May 2020 half_hor.indd 3 2/22/20 11:03 AM ForpakHalfPgAd_Jan2018_Meatingplace.indd 1 12/20/17 3:19 PM half_hor.inddhalf_hor.indd 21 12/27/172/7/20 12:21 6:38 PMPM theISSUES Kan., beef plant sustained severe damage, had declined to well under breakeven Tyson was able to shift that production prices. “You can keep feeding them, obvi- to its other plants, among the density ously. You can change the ration and you of beef packing plants in Kansas. That can feed them for a long time. The trouble luxury, though, may not be available to is, economically, can you afford to do that?” plants in less clustered areas, and if beef That would be a resounding “no” for hog and pork farmers are unable to shift their farmers.
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