LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Indiana meat inspectors and processors said meat supplies are plentiful and that people do not need to hoard.
“There is plenty of meat out there, we just have to be patient and wait for it to get through the system,” said Denise Derrer, public information director for the Indiana State Board of Animal Health.
Derrer said Tyson’s pork processing plant along with Indiana Packers are operating again after a temporary shutdown related to COVID-19, according to a story by Fox 59.
Moody’s Butcher Shop officials said they’ve noticed more demand as customers complain that they’ve struggled to find meat at grocery stores.
“We have doubled in business, if not more,” said Amy Truax, manager of the Zionsville store.
Farmers have ample meat supply, and butcher shops and grocery stores have lots of customers, but the meat processing industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, with plants shutting down as workers get sick. The processing bottleneck is slowing the ample supply from getting to customers.
Moody’s officials said that meat processors were operating near capacity even before the pandemic.
“I have a neighbor, I can buy a pig from him, but I can’t get a place to take them for processing because they’re booked up,” Derrer said. “They’re saying the next available date is in 2021.”
State inspectors and processing plant employees are working overtime now to meet the demand, all while also adhering to health and safety mandates.
Copyright 2020 WDRB Media and Fox 59. All Rights Reserved.
