House Subcommittee: Coronavirus Infections at U.S. Meat Plants Far Higher Than Previous Estimates

Signs guide the public at a large vaccination and testing site in Inglewood, California, on March 15, 2021.
Signs guide the public at a large vaccination and testing site in Inglewood, California, on March 15, 2021.
(REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo)

By Leah Douglas

Cases and deaths from COVID-19 among workers at the leading U.S. meatpacking plants were three times as high as previously estimated, according to a report by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis seen by Reuters.

The subcommittee surveyed major meatpackers Tyson Foods, JBS USA, Cargill, National Beef, and Smithfield Foods, which together control over 80% of the beef market and 60% of the pork market in the United States. 

At those companies’ plants, worker cases of COVID-19 totaled 59,147 and deaths totaled 269, based on counts through January of this year, according to the report, which was expected to be released later on Wednesday.

That is far higher than a previous estimate by the Food and Environment Reporting Network (FERN), which had been used by government agencies and media throughout the pandemic, according to the report. FERN had counted 22,694 cases and 88 deaths among workers at the five companies as of Sept. 8, primarily drawing on data from news reports and public health agencies. 

The meatpacking industry was especially hard hit by COVID-19 in part because its workers tend to be in close proximity for long hours in often messy conditions.

The new data comes from company calculations of worker cases primarily based on testing done within company facilities, meaning some infections identified through other health providers could have been excluded. 

Cases were especially high at certain plants, including JBS’s Hyrum, Utah, beef plant and Tyson’s Amarillo, Texas, beef plant, where around 50% of workers contracted the virus, according to the report. 

The report also included new details of lax safety protocols at some of the plants.

In May 2020 at Tyson's Amarillo plant, for instance, workers wore masks “saturated” with sweat, were not socially distanced and were separated by “plastic bags on frames” instead of CDC-compliant barriers, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) memo obtained by the Subcommittee.

Both Tyson and JBS said in statements on Wednesday they have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on COVID-19 health and safety efforts. 

Cargill said in a statement it was "saddened by the tragic impacts of this virus on our colleagues and the communities in which we operate." 

Officials from National Beef and Smithfield were not immediately available for comment.

The subcommittee report also suggested the Occupational Safety and Health Administration had not done enough to protect workers in the meat industry from the virus.

OSHA staff told the subcommittee that under Trump, the agency’s leadership made a political decision not to issue an emergency temporary standard (ETS) that would have required meatpackers to take certain safety precautions, the report said.

“Without being held to any specific standard, meatpacking companies were left with largely unchecked discretion to determine how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, to the detriment of meatpacking workers,” the report said.

 (Additional reporting by Tom Polansek in Chicago; Editing by Howard Goller)

 

Latest News

AFIA Objects to EPA’s Draft Risk Evaluation of Formaldehyde
AFIA Objects to EPA’s Draft Risk Evaluation of Formaldehyde

The American Feed Industry Association says formaldehyde has been "safely used in the U.S. animal food industry for over 40 years via accurate automated equipment."

Power of Meat Reports Strong Meat Consumption, Evolving Consumer Trends
Power of Meat Reports Strong Meat Consumption, Evolving Consumer Trends

The Meat Institute and FMI-The Food Industry Association released the 19th annual Power of Meat report.

Cattle Imports from Mexico
Cattle Imports from Mexico

Mexico has become one of the major beef import sources for the U.S. as beef trade evolved from simply supplementing deficit beef production in Mexico to bilateral, product specific trade between the two countries.

Markets: Cash Cattle Markets Nearing Historic Highs
Markets: Cash Cattle Markets Nearing Historic Highs

All classes of cattle sold at higher prices for the week and most are at or near record highs. Supplies of all classes remain extremely tight.

International Genetic Solutions Debuts New Informational Resource
International Genetic Solutions Debuts New Informational Resource

International Genetic Solutions (IGS) recently unveiled a new information resource and video platform for important beef industry topics pertinent to producers’ bottom lines.

Sage_Grouse_Booming
Ranchers Urge BLM to Incorporate Latest Science in New Sage Grouse Plans

NCBA and PLC are requesting that BLM significantly extend the comment period deadlines while ranchers and other local stakeholders evaluate these lengthy proposals.