Meat industry figures in the USA – a state of emergency in the Hamburg land because of rapidly increasing Infection among the workers, dozens of slaughterhouses had to be temporarily shut down. Meat is already more expensive. Hubert Wetzel from Washington25 Kommentare25Hart taken industry: the shelves are full, but because less is slaughtered, has attracted the price of meat in the United States.Photo: Adrees Latif (Reuters)

The Fast-Food chain Wendy’s advertises that you used for your Hamburger, only fresh minced meat – like competitor McDonald’s frozen. At the beginning of may the company was not to got a Problem: Because of the Coronavirus anywhere in the US slaughterhouses were forced to close, the company has a sufficient amount of fresh ground Beef. More than 1000 Wendy’s branches, almost a fifth of all Restaurants in the chain, had to take a Hamburger for the time being of the card and sell since then only chicken meat in Hamburg a state of emergency in the Hamburg the country.

slaughterhouses in the USA, in addition to old-age homes and prisons to the facilities, which has taken the Coronavirus particularly hard. According to a report by the US health authority CDC at the end of April in at least 115 meat factories in 19 States, Corona infections, a total of almost 5000 employees were infected. The real number is probably considerably higher – there are no state regulations, which would force the meat industry, all the Workers tested regularly. There, where entire workforces are tested, it often happens that a high number of Infected is discovered, do not show symptoms of the disease.

workers stand shoulder-to-shoulder

The high Infection to a to do with the working conditions in the slaughterhouses. Hundreds, often thousands of workers stand shoulder-to-shoulder next to each other on conveyor tapes, and cutting of pigs, cattle or poultry. The work is physically demanding, and it is impossible to keep the recommended safety distance of two meters to the other workers. In addition, the cool temperature and steady air exchange in the buildings, the spread of the Virus.

in Addition, the workers in the slaughterhouses, in General, poorly paid immigrants from Latin America residing either in the country illegally or recently immigrated. They often live crowded in small apartments and sit every day for hours in company buses, which they drive from their Quarters to the factory. Also increases the risk of infection. Sick employees often continue to work because they have no health insurance, because the companies pay for sick days, or employee terminate, the not keep the high pace of Production by. “The meat industry has never been known to be particularly good with their workers fairly,” says a Washington Lobbyist. “The effects we feel now.”

< p > “indispensable” industry

A result of Wendy’s. met in April in the United States, dozens of slaughterhouses were shut down, because there Corona were infections were discovered, there was suddenly a meat shortage. Other Restaurants got their meat, however, only to sharply increased prices. Large supermarket chains such as Kroger and Costco have limited the quantity of meat, the customers were allowed to shop. A serious care to avoid the bottleneck, said US President Donald Trump, the meat industry at the end of April to a “vital” industry. The stations, the closure of battle due to Corona-infections complicate.

Meanwhile, the big meat companies have pledged that they want to improve the safety of their workers. Whether and how you will actually do is unclear – the business model is based on cheap labour and high production. A consequence is foreseeable. The infection protection in the factories, fewer workers, slower running belts – is likely to lead to fewer animals being processed. Especially in the case of pigs, their breeding is organized at a given slaughter weight, and it leads to a massive Overproduction. Some pig farmers have, therefore, already tens of thousands of animals legs.

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