The number one question I’ve been asked in recent days is: how long will it take to resume meat processing capacity? The honest answer is: I don’t know. However, all the efforts to get plants back online appear to be having some effect.
The decline in cattle and hog processing volumes appears to have leveled off an even improved a bit in recent days. We’ve gone from 40% below 2019 to now “only” about 30% below 2019. Some cause for optimism?
By the way, this situation is making us all aware of the heavy labor reliance in meat processing. It is possible to have more automation in animal processing. See this video of an automated lamb processing facility in New Zealand. I’m not sure how applicable it is to beef since cattle are much more variable in size and shape.