Food Supply; Trayf Ed.

The [coronavirus] outbreaks led 38 factories to cease operations for days or even weeks. Because of the highly consolidated state of meat processing in the US, those closures led to what some analysts say could be as much as a 50% drop in meat production. ... For farmers who have pigs ready for slaughter, there are no easy solutions.

Once pigs reach 350 to 400 pounds they are too large for slaughterhouse equipment. Continuing to feed hogs that will never be sold is a drain on the farm's bottom line. And new piglets are being born in sow houses every day. Farmers simply have no place to put them.

One farmer reported that he can sell 25% of his production, which is not enough for his farm to survive for the long-term.

The days of cheap-ish meat may be gone for awhile.