DES MOINES, Iowa — President Donald Trump issued an executive order Tuesday, classifying meat packing plants as "critical infrastructure" and ordering to keep them open amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says he, along with Gov. Reynolds and Senators Ernst and Grassley, wrote a letter to the White House explaining the challenges faced by pork producers in particular, but livestock producers as a whole.
"We know that livestock producers all across the state including egg producers, turkey growers and cattlemen, and our pork producers and dairymen as well, have been experiencing a market disruption. But the pork processing disruption has really created a very dire situation for pork producers," Naig said.
"So we joined together and ask that the President consider invoking the Defense Production Act when it comes to food processing plants broadly, because it underscores the importance of and the critical nature of the Food and Agriculture supply chain."
In an interview with Local 5, Naig also pressed the importance of the workers' safety within packing plants.
"Of course, first and foremost, folks need to be taking care of those workers. If that workforce is healthy and safe, then those processing plants can run," Naig said.