As of today, 45 percent of the pork packing plant capacity nationwide is offline. Those plants are either closed or operating at a slow-than-normal pace. That means one million pigs do not have a home. Minnesota Pork Producers Association CEO Dave Preisler testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee, estimating as many as 80,000 pigs will be euthanized this week in the state. “We are very hopeful the JBS plant in Worthington as soon as Wednesday just to slaughter pigs. They will not be processing them for food. The carcasses will roll out of the plant after they are slaughtered and we’ll have to deal with the carcasses from a disposal standpoint.” The State of Minnesota has an agriculture emergency response fund. In addition, the Minnesota Pork Producers Association is asking for $15 million from the state to help farmers work through the depopulation and disposal process.
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