Smithfield Foods shutters its FIFTH plant as fears of meat shortages across US grow amid coronavirus outbreak and farmers warn they may have to EUTHANIZE tens of thousands of pigs
Pig farmer told DailyMail.com that company shut down operations in Nebraska
The Crete, Nebraska, facility is fifth plant to be shuttered amid COVID-19 crisis
At least 47 cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Crete plant on Sunday
Smithfield has closed plants in Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, and South Dakota
Company is also being sued by employees from its Milan, Missouri, plant
Employees claim company failed to adequately protect them from COVID-19
Meanwhile, swine vets have issued guidelines for ‘depopulation’ of excess pigs
Animals could be put down by ‘gunshot, electrocution and blunt force trauma’
By SANDRA CLARK
DAILYMAIL.COM
27 April 2020
Smithfield Foods, the largest pork producer in the world, is expected to shut down a fifth processing plant where dozens of employees have fallen ill with COVID-19.
Virginia-based Smithfield, which is owned by China’s WH Group Ltd, has now shuttered pork-processing plants in Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and South Dakota.
Now a pig farmer has revealed to DailyMail.com that the company is shuttering its plant in Crete, Nebraska, spurring fears of a collapse in the beef and pork supply chain that could result in shortages and higher prices for consumers.
At least 47 employees at the Crete facility have contracted coronavirus as of Sunday.
Last Friday, Smithfield announced plans to suspend operations at its Monmouth, Illinois, facility
Smithfield closed its St. Charles facility in Illinois, and in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The news comes after a lawsuit filed Thursday in Missouri federal court accused Smithfield of failing to provide employees at a Missouri plant adequate protective equipment.
The lawsuit also alleges that Smithfield refused to give employees time to wash their hands.
More than 200 employees became infected with the coronavirus at the South Dakota slaughterhouse, which produces between 4 and 5 per cent of the nation’s pork.
Aaron Doerr, a pig farmer in Nebraska, revealed to DailyMail.com exclusively that as of Monday morning, his usual delivery of 180 pigs to Smithfield’s processing plant in Crete, Nebraska, had been cancelled.
‘Just got word that my load for this week got cancelled and it sounds like Crete is shutting down,’ Doerr said.
‘They (the pigs) weren’t supposed to go until Thursday, but we got a message this morning that it’s cancelled since they are shutting the plant down tomorrow.’
Doerr said he was told the dreaded news that Smithfield Foods is ‘suspending operations at that plant so all loads in have been cancelled until further notice.’
As more and more pig plants are forced to shut their doors because of safety reasons, Doerr, like many other local farmers, is now faced with the challenge of where to send his pigs for processing.
The Rest…HERE
We don’t need pigs. Get a big extra freezer and stock up. Grow organic. Prep. Get as many in a 10 + mile radius to do the same. Load up on ammo too. Night vision gas masks body armor and something we never hear from the 🙂 “watchmen” – anti drone guns. Look into legal anti drone defense – it decombobulates the GPS etc in those drones and robots (((they))) have ready to send after us. Never hear ol Griswald talkin about those huh ? 🙂
At ease.