Workers at the Worthington pork plant were told not to come in for their shifts Tuesday after owner JBS was attacked by hackers over the weekend, according to the union and company reports.
IT servers for its U.S., Canada and Australian operations were affected Sunday following “an organized cybersecurityattack,” according to a news release by Greeley-based JBS USA.
JBS is the world’s largest meat processor. A spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
The large pork processing plant in Worthington ran its early morning shifts on the kill floor, but ceased work after five hours before canceling Tuesday’s night shifts, said Matt Utecht, president of theUnited Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 663, representing the plant’s workers.
“That basically puts things at a standstill if they’re not slaughtering,” Utecht said.
Company posts made on the JBS Worthington Facebook page also show day and night shifts on the processing floor canceled Tuesday.
There are reports of similar JBS plant shutdowns around the U.S. and Canada, including in Colorado and Texas.
The United States Cattlemen’s Association, an industry group, said on Twitter it had received reports Monday of livestock haulers waiting to unload at JBS plants being redirected to nearby stockyards.
Australia’s meat processing industry was disrupted for the second straight day Tuesday with thousands of workers told not to show up for work at JBS plants across the country where beef processing is a key industry.