There are few, if any, industries whose workers have contracted COVID-19 at the rate of those in the meat-processing industry. According to data from the Food and Environment Reporting Network, at least 1,396 meatpacking and food processing plants have had confirmed cases of COVID-19. At least 57,454 meatpacking workers and 17,482 food processing workers have tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 284 meatpacking workers and forty-eight food processing workers have died.

The Food Chain Workers Alliance (FCWA), a coalition of worker-based organizations from across the supply chain, have released a report on working conditions throughout the pandemic. Titled “We Are Not Disposable,” the report outlines how COVID-19 has affected the hundreds of thousands of workers in these industries, as well as how these workers have organized to protect themselves.

The picture the report paints of food processing work is dire. While the US Department of Agriculture has now withdrawn a proposed rule that would have allowed some poultry plants to increase their line speed, problems remain. Poor ventilation, for instance, is still an issue. As the New York Times reports, scientists are urging the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to set air standards for workplaces. As one scientist, an epidemiologist, told the Times, food processing plants’ “refrigerated environment and the lack of fresh air are ideal conditions for the virus to thrive. But the industry has not put in safety measures to minimize the risk.” This is all in addition to the recent nitrogen leak at a Georgia poultry plant, which killed six workers.