Beef processors are closing U.S. plants, warn of beef shortages and hoarding

[mystery-ak]

Beef processors are closing U.S. plants, warn of beef shortages and hoarding
April 17, 2020

"The American food supply is strong, resilient, and safe," Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue assured Americans on Wednesday, "and in fact our food supply chain has shown tremendous agility in shifting production and logistics so suddenly from restaurant and institutional settings to retail settings" during the COVID-19 pandemic. There may be empty shelves now, he said, but "in the United States, we have plenty of food for all of our citizens."

The new coronavirus is doing more than just creating logistical misalignment, though. Most meat is processed at giant facilities, creating a weak point in the production chain. One of the largest pork processing plants in the U.S., in South Dakota, shut down Sunday as the virus spread through its workforce, and the coronavirus-linked closure of two of the seven biggest U.S. beef processing facilities has reduced beef production by up to 25 percent, The Washington Post reports. Industry officials are warning of hoarding, especially of cheaper cuts of meat.

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https://theweek.com/speedreads/909359/beef-processors-are-closing-plants-warn-beef-shortages-hoarding

[Applewood]

Beef is already in short supply in my neck of the woods as are pork and poultry.  If you can find any of these, the prices are outrageous.  Personally, I think this "shortage" is an excuse to raise prices.   

It's been done before.  Notice how the orange juice price goes up every time there is a frost.  Yet even frost damaged oranges can be used to make juice.  Besides, much of our orange juice is made from oranges grown in Brazil and other foreign countries.  It's all BS.

These companies have it down to a science.  You find some calamity and use it to gouge the consumer.  Maybe instead of taking these companies' word for it, the feds ought to investigate.