President Trump Officially Signs Executive Order Requiring Meat and Poultry Processing Plants to Stay Open

In accordance with the Defense Production Act, President Trump has signed an Executive Order so “that processors of beef, pork, and poultry (“meat and poultry”) in the food supply chain continue operating and fulfilling orders to ensure a continued supply of protein for Americans.”

This authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to identify specific processing plants in the meat and poultry industry which he deems critical to the health of national supply chain. Closures of such plants, President Trump says, would “threaten the… national meat and poultry supply chain, undermining critical infrastructure during the national emergency.” As an example, the Executive Order claims “closure of a single large beef processing facility can result in the loss of over 10 million individual servings of beef in a single day.”

Meat and poultry processing plants advised to continue operations are ordered to maintain operations while complying with COVID-19 health and safety guidelines, as issued by the CDC and OSHA.