Donald Trump orders maintenance of the meat industry

Text by: Ariane Gaffuri Follow

Donald Trump signed on Tuesday April 28 a decree ordering the continuation of the activity of the meat sector. The American president invoked the "Defense Production Act", which makes it possible to classify the meat sector as crucial in this context of health and economic crisis.

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In the midst of a coronavirus pandemic, and while many companies are shut down to prevent the spread of the virus, Donald Trump signed a decree that requires beef, pork and poultry producers to maintain or stop their activities. resume for those who stopped them.

The President invoked the Defense Production Act, a law enacted in 1950 in the United States at the start of the Korean War. This law, which was recently used to oblige companies to produce equipment for health professionals, now makes it possible to also classify the meat sector as crucial in the serious economic crisis the country is going through. Objective: to avoid a shortage of meat and the economic collapse of the agrifood sector. "  These closings threaten the proper functioning of the national meat and poultry supply chain and endanger essential infrastructure during the national emergency  ," according to the decree signed by the President of the United States.

Closure of slaughterhouses

Flagship abattoirs in the country have indeed closed because their employees have been infected with the coronavirus. Other affected establishments include a Tyson Foods pig slaughterhouse in Iowa and two USA JBS cattle slaughterhouses in Pennsylvania and Colorado. The meat giant Tyson Foods has also stepped up to the plate. “  We have a responsibility to feed our country. It is as essential as medical care. Our factories must remain operational to supply American families  , "said John Tyson, chairman of the board of directors for the group , in the New York Times  . “  The food supply chain is breaking. Farmers across the country will have nowhere to sell their cattle for processing,  ”he said.

Overall, beef production in the United States fell 24.5% in the last week of April, compared with the same week last year. That of pork decreased by 14.6% and that of poultry by 8.2%.

The White House fears that the industry's production capacity will drop by 80% if it does not intervene. In addition to this decree, the United States Department of Labor plans to issue guidelines to protect factory owners from legal liability issues related to the closure of slaughterhouses. Donald Trump said he would sign a decree to that effect for the food supply chain, without further details.

Reinforcement of protective measures

In exchange for this effort imposed on employees in the meat sector, the federal government promises to equip equipment and customary protection measures to prevent the spread of the virus within slaughterhouses.
The UFCW, the agri-food union in the United States, is also calling for social distancing measures and more screening tests for "  workers who put their lives on the line every day." days to feed the planet  . " He recalls that 20 workers in abattoirs in the country have died from coronavirus and more than 5,000 have been infected.

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