Meat+Poultry - July 2020 - 18

C O V I D - 1 9 U P D AT E

Protecting

PROCESSORS
Legislators and processors are working to keep the
meat industry functional during challenging times
BY RYA N M CC A R T H Y | r m c c a r t hy @ s o s l a n d.c o m

L

egislators in North Carolina recently announced a new
bill that would offer $25 million grants to small and
independent processors affected by the coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic.
Funding for the grants would be allocated from the
federal CARES Act. House Bill 1201 was sponsored
by Republican representatives Jeffery Elmore and
Julia Howard.
The bill stated that the ongoing health crisis "resulted in
serious and substantial impacts on the food supply chain."
The bill addressed the bottlenecks and lack of capacity at
many small and independent meat processors and how the
pandemic has had a major negative impact on their ability to
process meat.
Grants should be used only for "facility expansion,
fixtures, on-site job training, or equipment that will expand
animal throughput, processing capacity, the amount or type
of products produced or processing speed."
Processing plants would be required to use grants to
contract with independent livestock producers to process
animals owned by producers.

CARGILL CARES

18

MEAT+ POULTRY | 07.20 | www.meatpoultry.com

SAFETY FIRST
Moy Park, a subsidiary of Pilgrim's Pride Corp. based in
Northern Ireland, is investing more than $5 million in safety
measures to protect its employees during the pandemic.
The investment includes several measures that have been
implemented throughout its facilities since late March, as
well as reward payments to its employees to thank them for
their work during challenging times.
The safety measures include installing Perspex screens,
one-way traffic flow systems throughout the facility,
staggered breaks to keep employees separated, socially
distanced rest and break areas, as well as additional
personal protective equipment (PPE). The company is also
adding temperature screening procedures at its plants.
"Safety is a condition at Moy Park, and we have
worked tirelessly over the last 11 weeks to implement all
best practice measures available to help safeguard our
Food Heroes," said Kirsty Wilkins, human resources and
performance director at Moy Park.

Moy Park

On the processor side, Cargill announced its Cargill Cares
Employee Disaster Relief Fund starting with a $15 million
contribution. The resource was set up to support the
immediate needs of employees during the COVD-19 pandemic
and plans to serve as a long-term resource for future events. 

"Our work is essential, but our people and the
communities in which we live and work haven't been
immune to the impacts of the virus," said Michelle Grogg,
vice president of corporate responsibility and sustainability
development at Cargill. "With this fund, we hope we can
come together in a powerful way to help our colleagues
by providing some peace of mind during this incredibly
uncertain time."
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Meat+Poultry - July 2020

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