Below is a copy of the press release being circulated today providing an overview of the current COVID-19 situation at the Huntingburg processing plant. At the time of this email there are a total of 42 confirmed positive cases at the Huntingburg facility. We are currently not aware of any positives at the Vincennes facility. Given the situation, the Indiana State Department of Health, Dubois County Health Department, Memorial Hospital and Farbest Foods are coordinating plans to conduct testing of all Huntingburg processing plant employees tomorrow, Friday, May 15th.
Regarding the processing schedule going forward, we plan on being down in Huntingburg on Monday and Tuesday next week. Beginning Wednesday we will look to bring Huntingburg back online albeit in a reduced capacity initially. Vincennes will proceed as normal.
While we do not anticipate significant long-term issues at this time, we will be making some immediate short-term changes in an effort to give us flexibility should the need arise. The first of these that some growers may see is the loading / processing of one barn at a farm several days earlier than the remainder of the farm to give turkeys space out in the field in the event we should experience any significant downtime at either facility. This would allow us to keep birds out on those farms to an older age without having to resort to other, less desirable alternatives. Thank you in advance for your understanding of this situation as we plan for the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
Phil Seger
A Statement on Behalf of Farbest Foods Inc., the Indiana State Department of Health, the Dubois County Health Department, and Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center:
Because of the nature of Farbest’s business with live turkey operations and processing turkey meat, it falls into the category of “Essential Business Functions” according to the United States government and as a result, has remained in production in every aspect during the COVID-19 pandemic. Farbest proudly owns that responsibility, and our workforce has risen to the incredible challenge of producing a quality source of protein for our family and friends around the world during this time. The focus on safety of our employees has been ingrained in our culture for years before COVID-19, and that commitment has not wavered. As a company, we have been taking a multitude of precautions to protect our people beginning as early as mid-March, weeks before there were any confirmed cases in the counties we operate in.
Our message to employees has always been consistent—to stay home if sick and to make decisions that prioritize health and wellbeing. Again, weeks before there were any confirmed positive cases in our area, we had deployed an extensive procedure in the event of a confirmed positive case for identifying and monitoring the health of those deemed to be close contacts. We have adhered to, and in many cases exceeded, CDC guidelines for the protection of essential workers. Farbest processes and plans have been approved by the Indiana State Department of Health and the Dubois County Health Department. For a complete list of actions taken, please visit https://farbestfoods.com/farbest-foods-response-to-covid-19/. It has been the company’s mission to learn from others in the industry and to follow local, state, and national guidance. Farbest has cooperated with and sought the advice from our local and state health departments and hospitals daily. It is based on this expert input that we are partnering with Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center, the Indiana State Department of Health, and the Dubois County Health Department to test all employees at the Huntingburg facility on Friday, May 15th. At this time, there are 42 confirmed cases at Farbest’s Huntingburg plant, and we are striving to contain that number. Testing all employees at the Huntingburg plant is out of an overabundance of caution, as local and state health authorities do not believe there is spread of COVID-19 occurring within the plant at this time. It was a unanimous decision from all parties involved in order to protect Farbest employees and the people in our community from further exposure.
The goal of testing every individual is to identify the asymptomatic positive employees and have them self-quarantine at home for ten days. This will further protect the workforce and community health.
We are thankful for the heroes that work at Farbest—our nurses and our workforce made up of essential employees. We are also thankful for the joint guidance and resources from Memorial Hospital, the Indiana State Department of Health, and the Dubois County Health Department. We hope for a full recovery for those affected and wish good health to our team and their families as we progress through testing.
