Smithfield Foods to Close Pork Plant As Employees Test Positive for Coronavirus

One of America’s largest pork processing plants is closing down until further notice as many of the facility’s employees have tested positive for Covid-19.

According to the CEO of Smithfield, the closure puts the country’s meat supply at risk.

“The closure of this facility, combined with a growing list of other protein plants that have shuttered across our industry, is pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply,” , Kenneth Sullivan said over the weekend.

“It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running,” he said. “These facility closures will also have severe, perhaps disastrous, repercussions for many in the supply chain.”

The Sioux Falls, South Dakota, facility accounts for 4% to 5% of the U.S.’s pork production and employs about 3,700 people, according to Smithfield.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said during a Saturday news briefing that Smithfield employees accounted for more than half of the active coronavirus cases in the state.

About 240 employees are sick, according to Noem. This is out of roughly 430 active cases in the state. Noem and the mayor have recommended that Smithfield suspend operations for at least two weeks.