Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 4/28/20

A federal judge ordered Smithfield to comply with public health guidelines at the Milan pork plant while a lawsuit over health hazards at the site proceeds toward a hearing on Thursday, writes Pro Ag's Liz Crampton.

The case is the first of its kind seeking to enlist the courts to force meat processors to follow federal guidance for essential employees still working amid the pandemic — and it could open the door to additional challenges against major meatpackers.

The lawsuit was brought by an anonymous employee who claims Smithfield failed to provide sufficient protective gear or social distancing measures for workers. Public Justice, the nonprofit legal group representing the worker, said Monday that it will also take other meatpackers to court, per Liz and POLITICO's Rebecca Rainey.

Slaughterhouses have become hotspots for coronavirus infections, forcing at least 13 plants to close at some point in the past two months, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers union.

Health investigators are tracking 159 cases of the virus at a JBS USA plant in Cactus, Texas, where thousands of employees — largely immigrants and refugees — are still reporting for work every day at the massive processing site.

At the same time, there's concern about potential meat shortages. Tyson Foods warned on Sunday that "the food supply chain is breaking," and Smithfield's CEO said earlier this month that the closures were "pushing our country perilously close to the edge."
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said Monday that she's hoping to reopen a Smithfield pork plant in Sioux Falls within "a matter of days." The company shut down operations there earlier this month after hundreds of workers contracted the virus.

Meanwhile in Mexico: The Mexican government's decision to shutter hundreds of factories, considered unessential for producing food and medical supplies, has caused further disruptions in the U.S., writes Pro Trade's Sabrina Rodriguez.