Latest Meat Processing Headlines
All the headlines from our Meat Processing Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Tyson not Shielded by Order Keeping Meatpackers Open, Iowa Judge Rules
Jan 4 2021 // A federal judge has rejected an argument by Tyson Foods that is not liable in the death of a worker in Iowa because it was following federal guidance when it kept meatpacking plants open during the coronavirus...
Meatpacking Plants Linked to Up to 8% of Early U.S. COVID Cases
Nov 27 2020 // As many as one in 12 cases of Covid-19 in the early stage of the pandemic in the U.S. can be tied to outbreaks at meatpacking plants and subsequent spread in surrounding communities, according to a study. The findings...
Lawsuit: Nebraska Meatpacking Plant Did Not Protect Workers from Virus
Nov 24 2020 // A Nebraska meatpacking plant has been accused in a lawsuit of failing to take adequate precautions to protect workers from the coronavirus. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the federal lawsuit on Nov. 23 against...
Pork Producer Smithfield Settles Nuisance Lawsuits in N.C. as Court Affirms Verdict
Nov 24 2020 // A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a 2018 jury verdict that led to awarding monetary damages to neighbors of a North Carolina industrial hog operation for smells and noise they said made living nearby...
Tyson Suspends Meat Plant Managers Accused of COVID Betting Pool
Nov 20 2020 // Tyson Foods Inc. said it has suspended managers at an Iowa meatpacking plant accused in lawsuits of betting on how many workers would be infected in a Covid outbreak earlier this year. More than 1,000 of the 2,800...
Tyson Gets OK to Use Employees, Technology for Safety Inspections at Meat Plant
Oct 28 2020 // Tyson Foods said on Tuesday it plans in January to have company employees take on duties from more than a dozen federal inspectors at a large Kansas beef plant, after getting a U.S. government waiver. Tyson said the change...
Utah Meatpacking Plant Had 441 COVID Cases, 1 Death
Oct 12 2020 // A newly released inspection report has revealed that a coronavirus outbreak at a meatpacking plant in northern Utah was more widespread than local health officials previously reported. The Utah Occupational Safety and...
Meat Plant Workers Being Denied Workers’ Compensation for COVID-19: Reuters
Sep 29 2020 // Saul Sanchez died in April, one of six workers with fatal COVID-19 infections at meatpacker JBS USA’s slaughterhouse in Greeley, Colorado, the site of one of the earliest and deadliest coronavirus outbreaks at a U.S....
Iowa Beef Plant Fine After Coronavirus Outbreak: $957
Sep 25 2020 // Iowa regulators have issued their first citation to a meatpacking plant with a large coronavirus outbreak that sickened its workforce — a $957 fine for a minor record-keeping violation. The outbreak at the Iowa Premium...
Coronavirus Safety: U.S. Behind Global Rivals in Protecting Meat Plant Workers
Sep 22 2020 // The U.S. government is falling behind global rivals when it comes to protecting meatpacking workers from Covid-19 infections, even though the nation’s plants were among the first to confront rampant cases across...
Kansas Health Dept.: Meatpacking Plants Have Highest Number of Active COVID Cases
Sep 11 2020 // Meatpacking plants and correctional facilities continue to be the main sites of active COVID-19 clusters in Kansas, with each reporting thousands of cases, according to data released on Sept. 9 by the state health...
OSHA Cites Smithfield Foods For Lax Coronavirus Safety for Meat Plant Workers
Sep 11 2020 // The U.S. Labor Department said on Thursday it cited Smithfield Foods for failing to protect employees from the coronavirus, making it the first major U.S. meatpacker to face a fine after outbreaks at slaughterhouses...
Reuters Report: How COVID-19 Swept Brazilian Slaughterhouses of Top Meatpacker
Sep 9 2020 // JBS SA, the world’s largest meatpacker, has vowed to keep the world fed during the coronavirus pandemic. Executives say the company has added more than 15,000 new workers in Brazil this year to crank out cuts of...
Tyson Foods to Pilot Medical Clinics for Workers at Some Meat Plants Next Year
Sep 4 2020 // Tyson Foods is planning to open medical clinics at several of its U.S. plants to improve the health of its workers and better protect them from the coronavirus. The Springdale, Arkansas-based company, which processes about...
20% of Meat Plant Workers Infected with Covid in Large Exporter Brazil, Union Says
Aug 19 2020 // One in five workers at Brazil’s meat plants have been infected with coronavirus, according to union estimates. That would make the country home to one of the world’s worst workplace outbreaks. The estimate...
Family Sues Illinois Meatpacking Plant After Man’s Death from COVID-19
Aug 17 2020 // The family of a suburban Chicago woman who died of complications related to COVID-19 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a meatpacking plant where her husband worked and contracted the virus. The family of Esperanza...
OSHA Defends Inspector Calling Ahead to Pennsylvania Meat Plant Before Visiting
Aug 17 2020 // A federal safety inspector tipped off a coronavirus-tainted Pennsylvania meatpacking plant before visiting the next day — then failed to issue a citation, according to testimony in a lawsuit accusing the agency of...
Nebraska Lawmakers Reject Bid for More Safety Restrictions at Meatpacking Plants
Aug 4 2020 // Nebraska’s meatpacking plants won’t have to worry about any new safety restrictions this year, despite outbreaks of the coronavirus among their workers, after a state lawmaker on July 29 failed to secure enough...
56 Workers Positive for Coronavirus at Alaska Seafood Plant
Jul 30 2020 // A seafood processing plant in Anchorage, Alaska has found 56 employees tested positive for COVID-19, marking the latest outbreak in the industry, health officials said. The Anchorage Health Department announced Friday that...
Citing Safety, Union Sues to Block Trump Waivers That Speed Up Poultry Lines
Jul 29 2020 // A food workers’ union filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday to block Trump administration waivers that allow poultry plants to operate production lines at a faster pace, arguing the higher speeds endanger employees. The...
