Thread: Immigration Raid Still Hurting Swift Production and Hog Pric

Immigration Raid Still Hurting Swift Production And Hog Prices

POSTED: 6:07 am MST December 28, 2006



WORTHINGTON, Minn. -- More than two weeks after immigration raids resulted in the detention of 1,282 Swift & Co. workers, the company's pork plants still have not returned to full capacity and the slowdown has caused hog prices to drop.

"Output levels are expected to be below normal over the short-term," said Swift spokesman Sean McHugh. He said the Swift production facilities are operating on all shifts, though.

With Swift running below capacity, hog farmers who need to sell their animals have had fewer buyers, driving prices down. David Preisler, executive director of the Minnesota Pork Producers Association, estimates that the raids are costing pork producers $6 per pig.


"That would be for all producers, not just producers that market to Swift," Preisler said. "If Swift cannot be at full capacity, pigs are still in the system and still need to be marketed."

While some have criticized ICE for making the raid just before Christmas, Preisler said producers were fortunate it happened when it did.

"If it had been 90 degrees or 10-below, we would have had losses of pigs in trucks," he said. "There were pigs on trucks for longer periods of time that had to either wait or go other places, and there were pigs that were enroute when farmers found out about this."

McHugh, the spokesman for Greeley, Colo.-based Swift, said that because the raid happened early in the morning, we were able to get in touch with our producers, and a lot of the normal deliveries were either stopped, turned around en route or directed to other processors," he said. "There were no livestock at risk from an animal welfare perspective."

Brad Freking, owner and managing partner of Jackson-based New Fashion Pork, said the raid proves the need for a compromise on immigration reform.

"The impact of this is so widespread. We're being indirectly impacted -- Main Street businesses and social services are all impacted," he said. "There has to be a better method."



Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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A better method? Like, not hiring illegals in the first place, so you don't have to scramble and hire and train once they are rightfully carted off? I have no sympathy for Swift. If people are suffering, they caused it.

Very well said and very true Betsy!

At least the 4 legged animals didn't suffer due to this. I don't think that Swift will get any sympathy and hopefully them and others now know the cost of their greed not just due to lost production but bad publicity as well.

Swatchicksaid:

At least the 4 legged animals didn't suffer due to this.