Treyfish
Moderator
The trade is part of the “ticking time bomb” of live animal markets strongly thought to have sparked the pandemic and could spark another one, they warn...and should be stopped altogether
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Smithfield Blames ‘Certain Cultures’ for COVID-19 Slaughterhouse Disaster
Published March 26, 2020 by Katherine Sullivan. Last Updated April 21, 2020.
Update: April 21, 2020
Ahmed and his wife, Neela, have dealt with the ramifications of Smithfield Foods’ questionable decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic at firsthand. Although both emigrated from Ethiopia, the two met at Smithfield’s Sioux Falls, South Dakota, slaughterhouse, where they both worked. Neela, who is now eight months pregnant, stopped working in December. Ahmed, feeling the pressure to continue working, was terrified that he would contract COVID-19 at work and infect his pregnant wife. His fears were realized when he began exhibiting symptoms and was later confirmed COVID-19 positive.“Smithfield—they don’t care about employees,” said Neela. “They only care about their money.”Ahmed is one of more than 600 people with confirmed Smithfield-related COVID-19 infections (which account for more than 50% of South Dakota’s cases) and is part of the “large immigrant population” a Smithfield spokesperson seemingly blamed for the company’s coronavirus catastrophe.“Living circumstances in certain cultures are different than they are with your traditional American family,” she told BuzzFeed News, apparently blaming the multimillion-dollar company’s overworked, underpaid employees for its Sioux Falls slaughterhouse outbreak getting so out of hand.As of a few days ago, the slaughterhouse had become the number one coronavirus hotspot in the U.S. And if you ask employees, their union representatives, or local officials, the tragedy that has befallen the company was indeed avoidable.
...