Meat producer JBS said on Wednesday it was reopening a Minnesota pork plant shuttered by the pandemic to euthanize up to 13,000 pigs a day for farmers, not to produce meat for consumers.
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Brazilian meatpacker JBS SA is seen in the city of Jundiai, Brazil June 1, 2017. Picture taken June 1, 2017. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker
On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to mandate meat plants continue to function during the pandemic after warnings of looming shortages. U.S. Rep Collin Peterson, a Minnesota Democrat and chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, said on a webcast that the plant started euthanizing about 3,000 pigs on Wednesday. The number is “not adequate but it’s better than nothing,” he said.Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said shuttered plants need to reopen to feed the country and the only way to do that is to ensure worker safety.
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