On January 15th, severe weather prevented USDA inspectors from reporting to the Tyson Foods pork plant in Madison, NE. Accordingly, the plant did not operate eliciting a complaint from Senator Mike Flood (R-NE) who expressed his concern to the USDA-FSIS Administration. It is self-evident that without USDA-FSIS inspectors, a plant is idle, impacting production, the labor force and affecting the supply chain.
News reports also noted that Wayne-Sanderson Farms either suspended shifts or delayed startup in a number of facilities in Texas and Arkansas on January 16th. Individual shifts were cancelled in Mississippi due to problems encountered with access to the plant by employees under unsafe travel conditions.
It is evident that other processors were impacted by inclement weather, affecting catching, feed hauling and plant operations.