Chicago | Reuters — Tyson Foods said Thursday it suspended employees without pay and hired former U.S. attorney general Eric Holder to conduct an investigation in response to a wrongful death lawsuit that alleges managers at an Iowa pork plant took bets on how many employees would catch COVID-19. The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the […] Read more
Tag Archives slaughter — page 4

Tyson suspends staff as suit alleges managers set up COVID pool

Ontario meat processor buys into poultry slaughter
ADP Direct buys Cami International
A growth-minded Toronto poultry and deli meat further-processing company has made a vertical move with a deal for a federally-inspected Niagara-area poultry slaughter plant. ADP Direct Poultry announced Friday it has bought up 100 per cent ownership of Cami International Poultry, a slaughter and processing facility at Welland, Ont., for an undisclosed amount. The deal […] Read more

B.C. ag ministry to take over regulation for on-farm slaughter
Class D- and E-licensed sites to move to ag ministry oversight
British Columbia is set to consolidate all provincial-level meat inspection duties into its agriculture ministry — including the regulatory oversight for on-farm slaughter work. The province announced Wednesday that all slaughter work licensed under its Meat Inspection Regulation for Class A, B, D and E sites will now be regulated through the ag ministry, starting […] Read more

Union seeks temporary halt for major Manitoba hog plant
Four Maple Leaf plant staff now COVID-positive
The union for about 2,000 workers at Maple Leaf Foods’ main Canadian hog slaughter and packing plant is calling for the company to put the brakes on production, pending further tests for COVID-19 among employees. United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 832 said Thursday it was “made aware” late Wednesday night of three more […] Read more

COVID-19 case confirmed at Maple Leaf hog plant
A worker at Maple Leaf Foods’ hog slaughter and processing plant at Brandon, Man. is recovering at home after testing positive for COVID-19, the Manitoba Co-operator has reported. The company said it received word over the long weekend about the case. Citing its own review of the situation and consultation with public health officials, the […] Read more

U.S. meatpacking workers often absent after plants ordered to reopen
"There's still so many risks"
Chicago/Washington | Reuters — Smithfield Foods is missing about a third of its employees at a South Dakota pork plant because they are quarantined or afraid to return to work after a severe coronavirus outbreak, according to the workers’ union. Tyson Foods was forced to briefly close its Storm Lake, Iowa plant — a month […] Read more

Tyson to shut Iowa pork plant against COVID-19 outbreak
Plant handles up to 3.5 per cent of U.S. pork output
Chicago | Reuters — Tyson Foods said on Thursday it will temporarily close an Iowa pork plant due to the coronavirus pandemic, a month after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered slaughterhouses to stay open to protect the country’s food supply. Meat processors such as Tyson, WH Group’s Smithfield Foods and JBS USA temporarily closed about […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Slaughterhouse closures lead to adjustments
MarketsFarm — The closure of one of Canada’s largest beef slaughterhouses will lead to adjustments in the cattle feeding sector, as animals will be fed longer but on different rations. Cargill’s meat processing plant at High River, Alta. slaughters roughly 40 per cent of all the cattle butchered in Canada. The plant is to be […] Read more

Quebec pork plant to restart at reduced pace
Olymel plant closed due to COVID-19 cases
Olymel plans to gradually bring a hog plant in Quebec’s Mauricie region out of a two-week shutdown starting Tuesday following a number of COVID-19 cases among its employees. The meat packing arm of Quebec-based Sollio Co-operative Group announced Saturday it will resume slaughter and cutting operations at Yamachiche, Que. starting Tuesday. Nine people working at […] Read more

COVID-19 cases shut Olymel hog slaughter plant
Facility in Quebec's Mauricie region to close for two weeks
The COVID-19 coronavirus has made its way into the labour pool at a major pork packing plant in Quebec’s Mauricie region, forcing a two-week shutdown. Olymel, the meat packing arm of Quebec-based Sollio Co-operative Group, announced Sunday it will temporarily close its hog slaughter and cutting plant at Yamachiche, about 20 km west of Trois-Rivieres, […] Read more