AS meat processing plants in the United States try to manage the delicate balance between keeping plants open to provide food for the nation and caring for the health and safety of their workers, one of the majors, Tyson Foods, has announced in a full-page advertisement in last Sunday's edition of the New York Times that the food supply chain is breaking.
John Tyson is the grandson of the company's founder.
He has been part of the company since he was a teenager, worked in almost every department and eventually became chief executive officer.
He has been a director since 1984, chairman since 1998 and has a substantial financial interest in the business.
Tyson Foods started off in chicken.
In 2001 they purchased IBP, the nation's largest beef and pork processor.
In 2014 they acquired the Hillshire Brands Company which took the combined entity's annual sales beyond $US40 billion.
A short biography identifies John Tyson's influence on the development of Tyson Foods.
It speaks of a company which strives to be honourable and respectful in its dealings with employees, a trait that carries through into philanthropic endeavours centred on health and human services, community development, education, hunger relief and support for military veterans.
At the same time it describes Tyson Foods as a business that takes pride in the safety and quality of its products and its dedication to meet customer and consumer needs.
It is perhaps the perverse and conflicting impact that coronavirus is having on these parallel ideals that has moved John Tyson to try to explain to employees, customers, consumers and the nation at large how Tyson Foods is managing this juggling act.
There seems no doubt that in trying to keep all the balls in the air, he expects there will be some that inevitably fall and break.
He said, "Sometimes life changes in the blink of an eye, and the world as we know it is different. Anxiety, doubt, and the fear of the unknown are now our constant companions.
"Now, Tyson Foods is facing a new set of challenges. In small communities around the country where we employ over 100,000 hard-working men and women, we're being forced to shutter our doors. This means one thing - the food supply chain is vulnerable. As pork, beef and chicken plants are being forced to close, even for short periods of time, millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain. As a result, there will be limited supply of our products available in grocery stores until we are able to reopen our facilities that are currently closed.
"Tyson Foods has a responsibility to feed our nation and the world. The government bodies at the national, state, county and city levels must unite in a comprehensive, thoughtful and productive way to allow our team members to work in safety without fear, panic or worry. The private and public sectors must come together. As a country, this is our time to show the world what we can do when working together.
"In addition to meat shortages, this is a serious food waste issue. Farmers across the nation simply will not have anywhere to sell their livestock to be processed, when they could have fed the nation. Millions of animals - chickens, pigs and cattle - will be depopulated because of the closure of our processing facilities. The food supply chain is breaking.
"We have a responsibility to feed our country. It is as essential as healthcare. This is a challenge that should not be ignored. Our plants must remain operational so that we can supply food to our families in America. This is a delicate balance because Tyson Foods places team member safety as our top priority."
The advertisement goes on to describe the extent of the procedures and practices that have been adopted to protect employees and keep plants open.
But perhaps not unexpectedly due to the level of Covid-19 infections and deaths associated with meat plants, there is also criticism in the US media of inadequacies and shortcomings on the part of processors.
We have a responsibility to feed our country. It is as essential as healthcare. This is a challenge that should not be ignored. Our plants must remain operational so that we can supply food to our families in America.
- John Tyson
The Washington Post carried a lengthy investigative piece in its April 26 edition which reported adversely on the actions of three major operators, Tyson Foods, JBS USA and Smithfield Foods, and claimed that their failings turned facilities into infection hotspots.
The article claimed COVID-19 outbreaks in more than 30 meat plants have affected at least 3300 workers and resulted in at least 17 deaths.
For meat processors it seems coronavirus has brought new meaning to the old saying of being caught between a rock and a hard place.
Erratic but improving
THAT was how one major processor described the business of trying to sell meat overseas earlier this week.
Sales desks have gone from having to beg for offers one day to selling it to places they never thought possible the next.
While the offers are ordinary, it is better than where they were a week ago.
"You could not entice an offer," he said. "People were not game to say a figure in case we accepted."
A big part of the reason for the erratic nature of the interest that is coming through is disruption at the intermediary level of the distribution chain.
Reportedly there is plenty of Australian product in warehouses in North America but closure of cutter/grinder operations is preventing it from getting through to customers in shelf-ready form.
How long this disrupted trading environment might last is uncertain but his thoughts were a minimum of another six weeks.
In livestock markets heavy cows at Dalby last week were back 25-30c/kg while Wagga on Monday recorded a 10c drop, extending the difference between the two centres to almost 50c/kg.
Southern Qld grid rates remain at 470-490c for cows while the Wagga grid increased to 510c last Friday.
First-round musters are reportedly well under way in the north but less so in the west.
