A Pork Panic Won't Save Our Bacon

On Tuesday night, President Trump signed an executive order that could shield meat producers from lawsuits waged by workers who’ve contracted Covid-19. The order also pressures meat-processing plants to remain open “to ensure a continued supply of protein to Americans” and to reverse “unnecessary closures.” This is a reckless and uninformed move. Even as threats to the global food supply increase, along with the costs of plant closures, the lives of thousands of workers could be imperiled if these facilities rush to reopen. The plan could also backfire — causing large-scale, long-term, global food supply disruptions that make the current plant closures look trivial.

Sixteen major poultry, pork and beef processing centers in the U.S. closed in recent weeks after they became Covid-19 hotbeds, including the Smithfield Foods pork plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the Tyson Foods chicken-processing center in Waterloo, Iowa and the Cargill meat plant in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. As of Tuesday, there were more than 4,135 reported Covid-19 cases tied to 75 meat-processing plants in 25 states, according to the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting. Among the infected workers, 18 have died across nine states.