Covid-19: JBS USA indefinitely closes pork facility in Minnesota

Global food company JBS USA has indefinitely closed its pork production facility in Worthington, Minnesota, due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

With more than 2,000 Nobles County team members, the facility can process 20,000 hogs a day.

JBS USA pork president Bob Krebs said: “We don’t make this decision lightly. We recognise JBS Worthington is critical to local hog producers, the US food supply and the many businesses that support the facility each and every day.”

JBS USA will close operations at its Worthington pork facility over the next two days, during which, it will operate the site with minimal employees to ensure the existing product can be used to support the food supply.

The company also urged its employees to strictly adhere to the state government’s stay at home order. It also said that all the team members will be paid during the plant closure.

Krebs added: “As we all learn more about coronavirus, it is clear that the disease is far more widespread across the US and in our county than official estimates indicate based on limited testing.

“We have taken aggressive actions to keep coronavirus out of our plant and keep this critical infrastructure facility operational.

“It is our hope that Governor Walz’s effort to implement more widespread community testing will help all of us better understand the measures we must all take to stop its potential spread. We must work together to defeat this common enemy.”

Earlier this month, JBS USA announced the temporary closure of the Greeley beef production facility to limit the spread of Covid-19.

The company noted that its production facility will be shut until 24 April to restrict the spread of the pandemic in Weld County, Colorado.