Meat+Poultry - January 2023 - 12

BUSINESS NOTES
Danish Crown to build
new pork plant
Swift loses
COVID liability
appeal
A recent ruling by the
US Court of Appeals for
the Fifth Circuit ruled
against Swift Beef Co.
regarding COVID-19
health liability claims,
moving the case to the
district court.
European pork processor Danish Crown announced it is investing more
than £100 million ($105 million) in a new processing facility in Rochdale,
United Kingdom.
The new 30,500-square-foot facility is scheduled to begin production in
the second half of 2023. Once operational, it will create around 300 jobs,
producing 900 tonnes of bacon and gammon per week.
Fully powered by renewable energy, the site will support Danish
Crown's 2050 climate neutral production goal. The company said heat
recovery from the plant's utility systems will supplement conventional
heating sources, and ammonia will be used as a refrigerant. Bacon offcuts
will be used in other products such as sausages to reduce food waste.
To minimize packaging waste, the company will use a circular packaging
system for pork deliveries to the site.
" Danish Crown has a long heritage in the UK, bringing British
consumers high quality bacon and pork products for over 135 years, " said
Jais Valeur, chief executive officer at Danish Crown. " This investment
forms the next step in our commitment to the UK market, bringing our
customers a reliable, transparent supply of high-quality bacon to help meet
demand, produced to high sustainability and welfare standards. The future
of meat will be based on high quality products that are as sustainable as
possible. We know this is an ambition shared by many of our customers
in the UK, and with this new factory, we look forward to working more
closely with them towards a more sustainable future for food production. "
Swift Beef Co., a
subsidiary of Greeley,
Colo.-based JBS USA,
did not prove the
government regulation
of the meat industry
protected the company
from a liability lawsuit,
according to a recent
unpublished opinion.
The ruling stated
that " heavy regulation
or encouragement
to remain open " was
not a mandate for the
company to continue
operations.
Perdue Farms settles wage-fixing case
On Dec. 7, Perdue Farms reached an agreement settling an antitrust suit filed over three
years ago.
In 2019, Judy Jien, Kieo Jibidi and Elaisa Clement filed a complaint against 18 poultry
processing companies for allegedly conspiring to fix and depress employee wages.
The processors - including major corporations like Perdue Farms, Tyson Foods Inc.,
Sanderson Farms Inc., Pilgrim's Pride Corp. - composed 90% of the chicken category
market segment at the time, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs alleged that, for more than a decade, the companies engaged in
the conspiracy, depressing production and maintenance workers' wages. Sensitive
compensation data was exchanged through consulting companies Agri Stats Inc., Webber,
Meng, and Sahl and Co. Inc.
12 MEAT+POULTRY | 01.23 | www.meatpoultry.com
Four employees of
Swift Beef sued their
employer alleging
gross negligence in
Texas state court after
contracting COVID-19
while working at one
of the company's
plants. The lawsuit also
accuses Swift of not
providing a safe working
environment during the
pandemic.
The opinion also said
that many aspects of this
lawsuit were similar to a
recent lawsuit, Glenn v.
Tyson Foods Inc.
For more news,
visit MEATPOULTRY.com
Danish Crown
http://www.MEATPOULTRY.com http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - January 2023

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