Thirteen members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International union who work in meatpacking or food processing have died after contracting COVID-19, UFCW said on a media call today to press for personal protective equipment and testing.

The novel coronavirus is living up to its name, ushering in a new way of life for America’s food companies, most notably the meat industry.

Meat packers need federal inspectors to produce the pork chops, T-bone steaks and ground beef that consumers are counting on to be in grocery stores, but the USDA inspectors on the front line are being told they are on their own when it comes to securing masks to protect against the spread of COVID-19.

Congressional leaders have reached agreement on a $2 trillion economic rescue package that would replenish the Agriculture Department’s Commodity Credit Corp. authority and earmark additional money for livestock and specialty crop producers as well as local agriculture.

The Agriculture Department published a list of hundreds of beef and pork production and storage facilities that are now eligible to export to China under the new, less-restrictive regulations negotiated in the “phase one” trade agreement.

The White House is asking Congress for $45.8 billion to cover the rising cost to the Agriculture Department and other departments and agencies of responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bill Lyons, former CDFA secretary, leaves Gov. Gavin Newsom's staff where he served as the agriculture liaison.

Purdue Pharma taps former Secretary Tom Vilsack to help monitor opioid marketing and Secretary Perdue appoints a new administrator of FSIS.