Nebraska State Senators voted to deny a hearing on a bill brought forward by Senator Tony Vargas to give meat processing workers an opportunity to bring their COVID 19 concerns in packing plants directly to the legislature. The effort fell two votes short. Most of the State Senators along with Nebraska Pork Producers Association Executive Director Al Juhnke say the processing plants have responded well to the virus and installed safety precautions at their facilities.

State Senator Steve Erdman of Bayard who voted against the measure says the virus is not spreading in meat packing plants but among the workers who are getting infected outside the plant.

Juhnke says he along with the Executive Director of the State Cattlemen Association along with meat packers have met with Governor Pete Ricketts via a conference call on Fridays for the past two months discussing the pandemic and possible safety steps.

Many of the Nebraska State Senators said it’s important to protect Nebraska Agriculture by keeping the meat processing plants fully operational.