After taking some poultry plants offline as a precautionary measure amid Hurricane Michael, Tyson Foods, Wayne Farms and Sanderson Farms plan to have all suspended plants back in production on October 12.
Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods did not operate its poultry plant in Vienna, Georgia, on October 11, “because team member safety is our top priority,” according to an email from Tyson Foods spokesman Derek Burleson. He further stated that the company planned to resume operations on October 12.
In addition, Tyson Foods closed its distribution center in Macon, Georgia, at 2 p.m. on October 10, with the intent of reopening at 7 p.m. on October 11.
Tyson’s Meals that Matter disaster relief teams were on standby and prepared to deploy to serve meals to storm victims, volunteers and first responders, Burleson added.
Wayne Farms
In a Facebook post, Wayne Farms announced that its plant in Union Springs, Alabama, would not operate a second shift on October 10, but would resume normal operations there on October 11.
At its poultry processing facility in Dothan, Alabama, Wayne Farms suspended operations on the evening of October 10, but the plant would return to production for the October 11 night shift.
Sanderson Farms
Sanderson Farms, also on its Facebook page, announced that neither shift at its poultry facility in Moultrie, Georgia, would work on October 11, but operations were expected to resume on the following day.
“As with past natural disasters such as Hurricanes Matthew, Katrina and Florence, Sanderson Farms will take care of our employees who missed work due to the storm. However, we are relying on our employees now more than ever. We ask all employees at Moultrie Processing who can return to work safely tomorrow (Friday, October 12) to make every effort to do so. Sanderson Farms wants all of our employees and their families to use precaution and stay safe while recovering from this storm,” Sanderson Farms further stated.