Congressman Murphy says Sanderson Farms "a perfect example" of COVID efforts

Congressman Gregory Murphy M.D., the representative for North Carolina’s 3rd congressional district, along with State Representative Chris Humphrey, State Senator Jim Perry, and County Commissioner J. Mac Daughety, toured the Sanderson Farms facility and observed the policies and procedures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. With over 18,000 employees and more than 1,000 growers, Sanderson Farms is the third-largest poultry producer in the nation with approximately 1,700 employees in Kinston, NC.

“We immediately implemented travel restrictions for employees,” said Jeff Black, Sanderson Farms Corporate Processing Manager. “We provided paid leave for anyone who quarantined, including those with a family member who were positive or suspected of being positive.”

Sanderson Farms experienced a large uptick in absenteeism for the duration of the pandemic. Though they have tried to resolve the absenteeism problems with overstaffing, hiring new staff has proven problematic for the company.

“Unfortunately, with the stimulus checks, and unemployment that we started putting out to help everybody in need, that has really hurt us,” said Black. “It stops people from wanting to come back to work.”

Sanderson Farms hired a third-party contractor to come through and fog the offices and break rooms at an expense of $25,000 per week. The processing plant was less affected because they have always cleaned and sanitized it daily.

“It was a good opportunity to visit the local community and see a production facility Sanderson Farms that is doing things the right way during the pandemic. How they are keeping their product going but keeping their employees safe,” said Dr. Murphy. “They are really doing a fantastic job.”

The success of Sanderson Farms’ response to COVID-19 allowed them to remain open without laying off any employees.

“Food is an essential part of living and we need to have our production facilities going. They literally have been a perfect example of how to provide a safe environment for employees, but also to produce a product that America needs,” said Murphy.

While speaking with the press, Dr. Murphy also discussed the need to get our kids back in the classroom.

“I think the risk of depriving children of their education, especially in minority and rural populations, is just too high. I believe education is an essential activity. I believe there is a pathway to get our kids back face to face,” said Murphy.