Tyson Foods’ Chairman of the Board says the nation’s food supply chain “is breaking” because of coronavirus.
In a full-page ad in the New York Times on Monday, John Tyson said millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain as meat production plants close, even for limited amounts of time. That means a “depopulation” of chickens, pigs and cattle as ag producers have no place to sell their livestock for processing, and it means more empty shelves at grocery stores until closed facilities can reopen.
Tyson and several other production plants in Emporia have developed what Lyon County Public Health have called clusters of COVID-19 patients. The company’s media relations department has said Tyson checks worker temperatures as they arrive, provides face coverings, started additional cleaning and implemented several social distancing measures. If employees test positive, they are on sick leave until they are cleared to return to work. The Tyson plant in Emporia is still operating.
KVOE News has reached out to Tyson for additional perspective.
