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US shoppers can expect meat shortages in affected areas. UK & EU shoppers less so.

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https://komonews.com/news/coronavirus/sh...-shut-down

EXCERPT: Shoppers could see meat shortages in the near future as a result of food supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus. [...] Millions of pounds of meat will not make it to market [...] More than a dozen major U.S. meat processing plants have shut their doors because of coronavirus outbreaks. The closures have sent a shockwave through farmers, truckers and distributors and it is expected to hit grocery stores and consumers next. "The supply chain is breaking..."

Some plants have closed temporarily to test workers and could potentially reopen within one or two weeks. Others will remain closed until the company is able to guarantee worker safety. All of the company's meat and poultry plants are currently operating at reduced levels of production. [...] the single largest pork plant in the United States, suspended operations indefinitely last Wednesday. [...] The spread of the coronavirus throughout meat processing plants has caused other large companies to shut their doors...

[...] Producers did not specify what consumers should expect to experience at the grocery stores as millions of pounds of meat are removed from the supply chain. The National Grocer's Association, whose members have already been on the front end of supply chain disruptions, said it is closely monitoring the situation with respect to meat availability. The NGA acknowledged that pork, eggs and dairy have already been impacted by heavy demand and supply chain disruptions...

Reducing the variety of goods available may be the only way to handle the capacity and labor shortage among meat processors [...] There is also the possibility that consumers will see meat shortages due to panic-buying. Earlier in the crisis, consumers cleared out grocery staples, including meat, resulting in chronically empty shelves. The news of packing plant shutdowns and meat shortages may spur another round of panic-buying... Food prices have already started to creep up for consumers and further market disruptions will likely cause prices to continue rising...

The cruel irony of the meat shortage is that there is no shortage of meat. "Are we going to run out of food? No ... We know our farmers and ranchers can produce the food... What we are running into are the supply chain issues." Farmers and ranchers have continued to raise livestock to meet pre-coronavirus demand. The supply has continued to build but the slaughterhouse closures have created a devastating chink in the food supply chain. U.S. meat plants are operating at 60% of normal capacity...

With no other option, farmers have started euthanizing having to euthanize stocks of pigs, cows and chickens. [...] Disruptions in the supply chain and limited storage space have also resulted in farmers dumping millions of pounds of produce and thousands of gallons of fresh milk. "Nothing bothers a farmer or rancher more than having to destroy something that he or she spent time, energy and resources into raising that is destined to feed someone," Moore noted.

The Guardian: [...] In Europe, by contrast, the situation appears reversed, as slaughterhouses remain open and intensive pig and poultry farmers benefit from lockdown shopping sprees for home cooking.

“The main cause of the supply chain problems in the US seems to be Covid-19 and the number of sick workers at slaughterhouses,” said Professor Peter Sandøe at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Food and Resource Economics.

In Denmark, a major European exporter of pork and chicken, slaughterhouses are still running and “intensive pig and poultry farmers are doing OK thanks to consumer demands both locally and in the countries’ we are exporting to,” said Sandøe.

In the UK the situation appears to be similar. “The irony is that smaller, more sustainable farmers are the hardest hit while supermarkets in the UK stock up on the cheapest, most intensively reared pork and poultry,” said Patrick Holden, dairy farmer and founder of the Sustainable Food Trust.
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