On April 28, 2020, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order directing the Secretary of Agriculture to make use of the Defense Production Act (DPA) to assist meat and poultry companies in continuing to remain in operation or returning to operation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A strong company leader is critical for a company to get through a crisis. Today with the coronavirus pandemic we are in a deep crisis like we have never seen before. No one is sure exactly how long this crisis will last.

Just 3 percent of the world’s water is fresh water, and two-thirds of that water is currently inaccessible, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Meat-processing facilities are major users of large amounts of water. Plants may use hundreds of thousands of gallons of water per day to process meat adequately. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought its own set of challenges to whole-muscle processing.

Annual U.S. pork production in February (latest data) was up 5.6 percent from the prior year and in an accelerating growth trend before the COVID-19 shutdowns dramatically changed the economic landscape. 

As most of you know, as a food industry lawyer, I have represented the food industry for over 20 years. During the course of that time, I have closely tracked evolving USDA policy, the strengthening of FSIS inspection and surveillance programs, the continuing parade of food product recalls, and the nearly monthly emergence of new foodborne illness outbreaks.

Up until now, the response to the Coronavirus has been largely uniform. While there were some variances between states, the country for the most part had locked down, and people were following social distancing guidelines.

Travis Koch of Overstreet, Homar & Kuker discusses how processors should handle and respond to employee walkouts and demonstrations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.