021123 Beef Plant Shut Due to ContaminationNovember 20, 2002Greeley, CO - Federal inspectors shut down a beef plant after finding repeated cases of fecal contamination on carcasses. The Swift and Co. plant was closed Friday morning when USDA inspectors left after finding the manure. Slaughterhouses cannot process meat without federal inspectors on duty. Inspectors said some of the problems have gone uncorrected for weeks. The plant has been cited 19 times since August for allowing contamination with feces, a breeding ground for E. coli bacteria. The former ConAgra Beef plant was linked to 42 illnesses in eight states in the summer and was forced to recall 18.6 million pounds of ground beef after E. coli was found to be contaminating beef processed at the plant. "We're still in discussions with USDA. Until those discussions are concluded, I can't really say. But it's not beyond the realm of possibilities," he said. Swift is required to submit a detailed plan for preventing further problems. USDA spokesman Steven Cohen said no plan had been submitted by Sunday. The plant processes about 1.3 million cattle annually and employs about 2,500 people. ConAgra spun off the Greeley plant and the rest of its meat processing business as Swift and Co. last summer but retained 46% ownership. The rest is owned by an investment group.
E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com |
