New predicament

[Mobuck]

It seems a worker at the local pork plant wasn't quarantined even though showing symptoms of flu. His wife is a nurse in the facility and she was at work FTF with others daily and local county health department is claiming no knowledge. The problem was reported to a local TV station whose reporters were led on a goose chase through several layers of Smithfield Co. management w/o any real information.
I figured it was only a matter of time.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

I think we've received good information from the real medical community, but the self-proclaimed "medical experts" who sit in various chairs of authority have given us so much misinformation that folks are losing faith and just doing what they want... and that's gonna cause a whole new raft of problems.

Rick C

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Well, Smithfield is big bucks in Missouri. Many facilities. Quarantining a piggie plant would be a certified mess. :roll:

 

[Mobuck]

10-4 on that. It's playing out to be a local catastrophe. Company has covered up and/or downplayed the situation in order to prevent closing the plant. Grouch Attack has been exposed and therefore so have I. Mother-in-law is having a rip snorting fit since she's a hypochondriac anyway and will talk herself into some sort of illness within hours. If the town/county is locked down, there's a good possibility of the "Congolians" going full on jungle rules. I'm going down to start loading magazines right now.

 

[arfmel]

“Company has covered up and/or downplayed the situation in order to prevent closing the plant.“


Think Smithfield is owned by the chinese, isn’t it? Covering up this type of deal is their national pastime.

 

[Colonialgirl]

HMMM
Smithfield products are OFF my shopping list NOW and FOREVER into the future !

NONE in the refrig now any way.

 

[krw]

Shutting a major meat processing plant would classify as a major train wrk. When Pigs, chickens, or cattle reach slaughter wt they need to be processd. I’m n the poultry business. Hens are gonna lay everyday, pullets are placed, eggs are placed in incubators, etc, etc. You just cant take a 7 day timeout period. Pigs are the same way.

 

[finesse_r]

I usually cook my meat, so I don't think there is anyway a virus of any kind will survive that. If we start shutting down large companies we will end up in a depression far worse than the big depression in the first half of the 1900's. How many will die from that kind of catastrophe?

My best estimate is far, far more will die from that kind of economic downturn, than will die from this Wuhan Virus.

If you are healthy with a healthy immune system there appears to be little chance this Wuhan Virus is even as bad as the flu. I would stay home if I knew I had it, just out of respect for others, just like I would for any other contagious ailment.

But I really don't have any fear of catching this or any other flu. The warm months are already here in Texas, and sunshine and heat and humidity all can kill or at least slow down this virus. Just like other viruses, we are fast coming out of the flu (virus) season, which should slow this thing down faster than anything. Add to that the good probability that there are drugs available that will cure this thing in a few days. With any luck people will be going back to work in a week or so, and this will be treated like the regular old flu it truly appears to be.

 

[gramps]

“Company has covered up and/or downplayed the situation in order to prevent closing the plant.“


Think Smithfield is owned by the chinese, isn’t it? Covering up this type of deal is their national pastime.

Before everyone starts boycotting this company, it would be best to have ACCURATE INFORMATION!!!

“Smithfield Foods, Inc., is a meat-processing company based in Smithfield, Virginia, in the United States, and a wholly owned subsidiary of WH Group of China.”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithfield_Foods
gramps

 

[arfmel]

“Company has covered up and/or downplayed the situation in order to prevent closing the plant.“


Think Smithfield is owned by the chinese, isn’t it? Covering up this type of deal is their national pastime.

Before everyone starts boycotting this company, it would be best to have ACCURATE INFORMATION!!!

“Smithfield Foods, Inc., is a meat-processing company based in Smithfield, Virginia, in the United States, and a wholly owned subsidiary of WH Group of China.”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithfield_Foods
gramps

The wikipedia article link confirms that Smithfield is in fact owned by the Chinese, so I really don’t know what Gramps’ point is about having “ACCURATE INFORMATION!!!”

And I haven’t suggested anybody boycott anything, nor is it clear that anyone who has posted in the thread is boycotting Smithfield because they are chinese-owned. Though it would be understandable if someone chose to do so.

 

[Mobuck]

The plant has already issued little cards indicating the "essential" status and allowing the workers to basically ignore the common sense recommendations. The big issue I have is the handling of a "possible" case of COVID-19 by an inhouse health professional. This seems to be a bigger problem than quarantining a guy with nothing more than a bout of common flu until he was tested.

 

[daveg.inkc]

This company started life as Premium Standard Farms. Mercer County had several sites. Mercer County is my home, as birthplace of Calamity Jane. Big employer in North Missouri.

 

[powder smoke]

I wish the USA would leave China out of our Pharma and our food chain!
pretty much everything for that matter! Do I trust the Chinese? Nope not one bit!
We do not need to be enemies but we need to bring ALL OUR Manufacturing Home.
I want Americans to make our products I do not care if it cost a bit more! Time for
America to stand tall and bring common sense back! The shipping from China is not
cheap that by itself may make up a good portion of the expense! Dang Chinese tell
em to go pump sand!

 

[rimmer1]

I wish the USA would leave China out of our Pharma and our food chain!
pretty much everything for that matter! Do I trust the Chinese? Nope not one bit!
We do not need to be enemies but we need to bring ALL OUR Manufacturing Home.
I want Americans to make our products I do not care if it cost a bit more! Time for
America to stand tall and bring common sense back! The shipping from China is not
cheap that by itself may make up a good portion of the expense! Dang Chinese tell
em to go pump sand!

Well ten, who's going to buy all those big boats?

 

[Mobuck]

Here's a few things to keep in mind: Smithfield is "owned" (in one way or another) by the Chinese. Approx 3/4 of the production goes directly to China(vertical integration) so domestic sales have little effect on the company. Since COVID has virtually closed several ports in China, they've been using any US cold storage they can acquire to hold the bajillion pounds of meat already in the pipeline. Rumor has it that the flu has subsided in China and workers are going back to work in the ports so all that stored meat will be moving out.
If the local plant closed, no doubt they could shift processing of some pork to other plants within hauling distance although it would increase costs. My thoughts: if they can stay open a few more days, the cold stored meat will begin to hit Chinese ports so a week or two shutdown wouldn't compromise the supply landing over there.

 

[daveg.inkc]

Like it or not, Premium Standard Farms was a life saver for Mercer County. At one time, courthouse was going to close and Mercer was to be absorbed by 3 adjoining counties. PSF (Smithfield) is located in several counties in North Missouri. I’ve watched my hometown dry up. It’s 2 hours north of KC. In the heart of Chronic Wasting disease. At least the bass and crappie are good to eat. Mushroom season is here now.

 

[Bull Barrel]

You are referring to the company it used to be.

 

[daveg.inkc]

I am BB. Started in 1980’s,, I used to deer hunt next door to a facility. It will always be Premium Standard farms around Princeton. Then Murphy Brown for a while.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

It seems a worker at the local pork plant wasn't quarantined even though showing symptoms of flu. His wife is a nurse in the facility and she was at work FTF with others daily and local county health department is claiming no knowledge. The problem was reported to a local TV station whose reporters were led on a goose chase through several layers of Smithfield Co. management w/o any real information.
I figured it was only a matter of time.

Interesting. I searched for "Smithfield" and in every case where I got a "hit", when I opened the link it was either empty or apparently had been edited to remove any actual mention of Smithfield . . . including good ol' KTVO Channel 3 Kirksville/Ottumwa. :wink:

 

[Mobuck]

Yupper, the story got pulled from KTVO. Don't know who applied the pressure but the story went away like smoke in the wind. It IS a fact however that the situation was improperly handled by the plant health and safety personnel, the county health dept, and up the line regardless of whether it's Covid or not.
The suspect case has now been quarantined after exposing 1000 people for several days.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Don't know who applied the pressure but the story went away like smoke in the wind.

Money talks . . . loudly! :roll:

 

[dreamer]

Smithfield-Farmland-Murphy Brown-PSF, PSF also took over some that were Continental first.
Mashoff has sites here as well and Choice Genetics.

 

[Mobuck]

It may look like "mega-pork" was a boon to the north central MO economy BUT you have to live with the fallout to see the downside. Yes, there's wages going into the area but the damage to roads, bridges, and environment far exceed the increase. The foreigners who work in the plant have overwhelmed the schools with students who not only have little to no previous schooling but can barely speak English. The county law enforcement is overwhelmed to the point of simply ignoring the more minor crimes and even the State Hwy Patrol can't even begin to enforce the traffic regulations.
As far as I'm concerned, there has not been ANY good coming from this situation. The county is just a stinking ghetto dependent on the handout of wages from King Pig.
Do I need to go into the loss of tax income resulting from county officials "cutting deals" to promote the processing plant? This put the county into a deficit that is ongoing and can only be resolved by increasing the tax burden on farmers.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Mobuck, has the recent disaster at the big Smithfield packing plant in South Dakota caused any visible holdups in the pig production at your local Smithfield piggy parlors? They gotta ship those critters somewhere.

 

[Gator89]

It may look like "mega-pork" was a boon to the north central MO economy BUT you have to live with the fallout to see the downside. Yes, there's wages going into the area but the damage to roads, bridges, and environment far exceed the increase. The foreigners who work in the plant have overwhelmed the schools with students who not only have little to no previous schooling but can barely speak English. The county law enforcement is overwhelmed to the point of simply ignoring the more minor crimes and even the State Hwy Patrol can't even begin to enforce the traffic regulations.
As far as I'm concerned, there has not been ANY good coming from this situation. The county is just a stinking ghetto dependent on the handout of wages from King Pig.
Do I need to go into the loss of tax income resulting from county officials "cutting deals" to promote the processing plant? This put the county into a deficit that is ongoing and can only be resolved by increasing the tax burden on farmers.

All part of the plan to turn the heartland Blue come election time.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I am just an observer but to me it looks like the virus is moving into rural areas and some of the people in those states want more mediation while folks in another state want less mediation. The simple facts are that with less mediation, testing and tracing there will be more cases and more deaths. It is a trade off that we will all have to make in the future. Do you want to go back to work/shopping, etc and risk infecting people or do you want to stay home and keep the numbers as low as possible. The decisions will have to be made from the top down all across this country, and it is really not about politics at all.

 

[Bull Barrel]

But its okay to spread the flu year after year after year....
And where does it come from?