Current Cattle Market Daily Headlines for November 24, 2020

americancattlemarkets

5 years ago

ACLU files federal lawsuit against a Nebraska meatpacking plant over “treacherous Covid-19 conditions”

On Monday, a federal lawsuit was filed against Hastings, NE beef processor, Noah’s Ark Processors.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include former plant employees and a local pediatrician who treats the children of meatpacking workers and people with Covid-19.
- The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska (ACLU), and Scottsbluff attorney Maren Chaloupka represent the plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs are challenging Noah’s Ark Processors claiming treacherous Covid-19 conditions at the plant.
According to the lawsuit, the processor failed to take public health precautions, such as physical distancing, adequate sick leave, testing and providing clean masks to protect its workers and the community from a new surge of Covid-19 cases.
The plaintiffs claim the plant is a public nuisance due to the transmission of Covid-19 within the plant and outside the plant. The result of this is widespread disease, hospitalizations, and death, not only among plant workers, but workers’ family members and those in the public whom they interact with.
The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring the processor to implement four basic practices: physical distancing, clean masks, sick leave and testing.

Beyond Meat plans to introduce Beyond Pork, a new plant-based ground pork product, to the Chinese market.
Beyond Pork is the company’s first product designed specifically for China.
The product will have a juicy texture comparable to traditional 70/30 ground pork, but it will have approximately 50 percent less saturated and total fat. Additionally, the plant-based meat product will contain 18.5 grams of protein per 100-gram serving and be produced without GMOs, antibiotics or hormones.

On Sunday, thousands of people marched in the streets of Taipei in protest against U.S. pork imports into Taiwan.
- Protesters claimed there are food safety issues with these imports.
In August, President Tsai Ing-wen’s administration relaxed a long-standing ban on U.S. pork and beef imports. The ban is supposed to be lifted in January 2021.
The new policy will allow U.S. pork imports into Taiwan with acceptable residues of ractopamine.
- Ractopamine is a drug used in animal feed that promotes growth of lean meat.
This decision has been met with aggressive opposition from the Kuomintang party and individual citizens.
One protester, Kelvin Chen, said if Taiwan imports U.S. pork and then blends it with domestic product, consumers have no way of knowing the source of their pork and what they’re really consuming.

On behalf of Turtle Island Foods, also known as Tofurky, the American Civil Liberties Union has made a request to a federal appeals court to void a Missouri law making it illegal to label plant-based products as meat.
- Tofurky believes that the Missouri statute violates the company’s right to free speech.
In rebuttal on behalf of the state, the Missouri Attorney General’s office contended that the alternative-meat company should have no problem with the law if its products are clearly labeled as derived from plants.
In 2018, Missouri passed the law making it illegal for a company to misrepresent a product as meat if it is not made from livestock or poultry.
- This crime is punishable by up to a year in prison.
Tofurky has been busy with these legal disputes, as they have been contesting the same issue in a handful of states across the country.
- The company won an injunction against a similar law in Arkansas, and they are currently challenging another such law in Louisiana.

Choice boxed beef: $241.60 (+3.25)
Select boxed beef: $217.48 (+2.50)
As of Friday afternoon, in the last three weeks, Choice boxed beef increased by $30.25 and Select cutouts increased $23.74.