On the same day New Republican Tim Miller blamed Walz's policies for shuttering pork processing plants, the Globe reported in Governor, multiple elected officials gather for press conference about the JBS pork packing plant shutdown in Worthington:
Walz was joined in the spacious Prairie Holdings Group hangar in north Worthington by U.S. Reps. Collin Peterson (DFL-District 7), Jim Hagedorn (R-District 1), 4th District Iowa Rep. Steve King (R), and Minnesota District 22 Sen. Bill Weber (R-Luverne) and District 22B State Rep. Rod Hamilton (R-Mountain Lake).
While that delegation may sound like sound like a set-up for a joke, there's little laughter over the situation.
Management has closed meat processing plants across the Midwest where line workers contacted COVID-19 in the crowded, high-speed working conditions (see CDC report on Sioux Falls, SD, Smithfield plant). The workplace outbreaks occurred in Midwestern pork powerhouse states with shelter-in-place policies and those without such policies.
If America runs out of food, Congressman Peterson predicts a riot.
In JBS begins euthanizing hogs at Worthington plant, the Globe's Julie Buntjer reports:
Minnesota 7th District Congressman Collin Peterson shared the news during a press conference Wednesday afternoon alongside Gov. Tim Walz, 1st District Rep. Jim Hagedorn, Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Peterson and Board of Animal Health State Veterinarian Beth Thompson inside a hangar at the Worthington Municipal Airport.
For the consumer, the euthanization of hogs for an undetermined amount of time will lead to shortages of pork products in the grocery stores.
“We’re about three weeks away from not having any pork on the grocery shelves,” Rep. Peterson said. “It’s a national security issue. The U.S. has to have a food supply we can depend on. If we don’t have food, we’re going to have riots.”
Read the rest at the Globe, where seasoned ag reporter Buntjer details the process and challenges of having too many hogs and few places to put the carcasses.
In JBS to reopen only when 'workers are safe,' legislators say, the Globe's Leah Ward reports:
Worker safety is the first priority, Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Reps. Collin Peterson, Jim Hagedorn and Steve King said during a Wednesday visit to Worthington to discuss steps needed before JBS Worthington can resume normal operations.
A Tuesday executive order issued by President Donald Trump requires all closed meat processing plants to reopen for business, citing a need to protect the nation's food supply under the Defense Production Act.
The primary consideration in reopening the plant is ensuring the safety of workers, Peterson — who chairs the House Agriculture Committee — repeatedly stated. He added that neither he nor Walz will support a plan that doesn't prioritize worker health and safety.
Walz agreed, stating that the state of Minnesota is committed to both worker safety and economic vitality. Pork producers and production line workers are both "at the center of this," he said, and both groups need to be considered in making decisions about when and how to reopen JBS Worthington.
Operational adjustments are necessary to put an end to JBS employees working shoulder to shoulder, which will reduce production but also curtail the spread of coronavirus and other diseases, Peterson added. . . .
"The president was right" to be concerned about processing plant closures, Walz said, since having a reliable food supply is a matter of national security.
While reopening is essential for the local and national economy, he said, "the workers' voices need to be at that table, and they need to be heard."
"We're paying attention to these workers," Peterson added, "because without them, we can't do this." He noted that per capita, Nobles County has the same rate of positive COVID-19 cases as New York City, so all parties involved are invested in ensuring worker safety. He also shared that Perdue has promised that the federal government will not force JBS Worthington or any other processing plant to open unless it's safe to do so.
Meanwhile, a group of protesters gathered in their cars outside the press conference, which was hosted in the Prairie Holdings hangar of the Worthington Municipal Airport. The group repeatedly honked their horns to let the lawmakers know their displeasure with President Trump's order to reopen JBS.
Many of the cars had signs displayed in the windows with messages for the governor and members of Congress. . . .
The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports Hundreds of workers test positive for COVID-19 at Worthington meatpacking plant, Minnesota officials say.
Check out the photos at the Globe. While the articles are accessible because of the pandemic, consider a subscription to the Globe.
Photo: MN07 congressman Collin Peterson at a press conference Wednesday afternoon in Worthington about JBS and its help in euthanizing hogs for area pork producers. (Photo credit: Tim Middagh/The Globe)
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