Experts say US Meat Industry will face New Regulations from Biden Administration

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Experts said the future of the meat industry retail pricing is in nothingness. Their comments came after in anticipation of the Biden administration’s forthcoming emergency temporary health guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic’s squeeze on the economy. The White House said earlier this year that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would release those standards on 15^th March. But, there was still no word from the administration heading into the weekend. Point to be noted that experts from the meat sector predicted new heavy regulations. A policy expert at the Food Industry Association, Andrew Harig said that the Biden administration is focusing on re-regulation, a large shift away from the Trump administration’s deregulation push. It raises concerns about the new ETS within the Meatpacking community.

He believes possible further regulation might slow down the production again. North American Meat Institution’s spokeswoman Sarah Little said the regulations like mandatory 6-foot social distancing and N95 masks would definitely affect production. She said industry workers need vaccinations to keep things moving. NAMI has called on the Biden administration to urge all states to prioritize vaccine access for the diverse meat and poultry workforce. She said, “The rural community is underserved, and lots of our workers belong to minority groups”. Last year, the US customers experienced empty fridges at grocery stores when meatpacking giants like Tyson had to cut production when the slaughterhouses became coronavirus hot spots. Top 4 beef processing companies including JBS, Tyson, Cargill, and National Beef have organized vaccinations for their own employees on a large scale.

Tyson Inc. is offering free onsite COVID-19 vaccinations to more than 4,000 employees working at its largest beef plant in Dakota City, Nebraska. The Meat Institute trade group claims that case rates for meat and poultry workers were 85% lower than in the general population in the first 2 weeks of this March. The group cited data from New York Times and The Food & Environment Reporting Network. A recent report from the US Department of Agriculture said the prices of beef and other meats will continue to climb. The former USDA economist John Nalivka said a slight increase would be tolerable since meat products have been very affordable in the US. He said, “Americans don’t spend a lot of money on food. People only spend about 10 to12% of disposable income on food”.