After a slow down and closures, meat packing plants are starting to run again. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says the industry turned a corner, but capacity is still low. “We’re going to have meat protein for the future,” says Perdue. “It looks like all plants except a few are open now.” There’s a strong demand for meat at the grocery store, but North American Meat Institute CEO Julie Anna Potts says packing plants need to get back up to full capacity to meet the demand. Worker safety is also important. “Some workers have been scared to come back, but processing meat requires physical labor. The labor situation, even before COVID-19, was very tight. The ability to keep people in the workforce is a challenge.” There also continues to be a backup of livestock. According to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall, it will take time to adjust. “If you think about a farmer geared up to raise 1.5 million birds each year, if all of their finances are tied up in that, they will fall into financial difficulties. There will need to be adjustments in financing for farmers and there may need to be an increase in the price of food as well.” These leaders were part of a webinar hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center.
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