Secretary Perdue Issues Letters on Meat Packing Expectations
(Washington, D.C., May 6, 2020) U.S.
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue last night sent the following two
letters to Governors across the nation and leadership of major meat
processing companies. These letters establish the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s (USDA) clear expectations for the implementation of President
Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order signed last week. The President’s
Executive order directs plants to follow the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidance
specific to the meat processing industry to keep these critical facilities
open while maintaining worker safety.
“USDA expects state and local officials to work with these
critical meat processing facilities to maintain operational status while
protecting the health of their employees,” Secretary Perdue said. “Meat
processing facilities are critical infrastructure and are essential to the
national security of our nation. Keeping these facilities operational is
critical to the food supply chain and we expect our partners across the
country to work with us on this issue.”