Prepping and Panic Buying Question

[Masterbagger]

Plus, it's not much about meat specifically but the food supply in general. People have to eat, and if everyone who eating meat suddenly switch to whatever you're eating right now, you gonna feel the heat real fast, so consider that.

That is true in more than one way. If any of you took up my eating habits for a week you would likely end up in a very unhappy state of either going to the bathroom too often or not often enough. I avoid fiber like the plague. If I lose my staple foods I will be in a world of trouble too. It affects my morale and income to be tethered to a bathroom. I have more than a typical interest in staying on top of the meat supply because what I eat is keeping me very near to the same amount of throne time as a normal person and letting me go about my business without consuming drugs. I did end up stocking up additional bacon to the tune of 15lbs worth and added 20lbs chicken wings. That is about three weeks worth for me. I intend to get by without interruption. The egg shortage of last month did not agree with me at all.

@Mightysword: What you say is true. Nevertheless, please forgive me if I have no tears for news of slaughterhouses closing.

There is a beef facility West of Amarillo that just about made me barf passing by it. I don't think I have ever disregarded the speed limit as badly or pushed my old mustang as hard as I did that trip. That event was exceptional. It's a memory of smell that rivals all of the worst visuals I have seen in my lifetime of awful experiences. I will never take I-40 again to get to Texas so long as I live while that place is open. I know what happens in places like that is not pleasant. There is a demand for what they do and there will still be demand even if they close. If they are gone that demand will be filled. Likely by China.

[Gavrushka]

Seeing local evidence the lockdown is starting to fray. - I live in a cul de sac looking onto a central green, so it's hard not to see the comings and goings of neighbours. - The drunken idiot who last month banged on my window at 11:00pm, along with her husband, is out every day in the car. And she's now started snapping abuse at another neighbour for going 'overboard' in trying to follow the lockdown rules. - Another neighbour and her husband, both in their 70s, are taking public transport daily and making sure everyone sees them going out - (the woman is actually strutting around the entire green rather than walking direct to the bus stop.)

How I wish their actions didn't, overall, lead to additional deaths. How I wish someone could find a way to pierce their thick skulls and let them see it's not just self-harm they're engaging in. -I've already decided if I get any more drunken visits from neighbours, it's a call to the police the next day.

Stupid people just gotta be stupid...

[RegisterMe]

There's astonishing concentration in the US meat preparation / packing industry. This makes it more vulnerable to this kind of shock (and more able to lobby for aid). A more diffuse and diverse industry would probably be more robust. Of course that would likely come at the cost of increased meat prices.....

EDIT: According to the Economist four companies (including Tyson Tyson foods - chicken, and Smithfield Foods - pork) "integrate almost every stage of raising animals, slaughtering them and packing the meat, and thus dominate the industry". Even if these large operators stay open, assuming that they introduce sensible staff distancing measures, capacity and throughput will drop significantly.

[Mightysword]

EDIT: According to the Economist four companies (including Tyson Tyson foods - chicken, and Smithfield Foods - pork) "integrate almost every stage of raising animals, slaughtering them and packing the meat, and thus dominate the industry". Even if these large operators stay open, assuming that they introduce sensible staff distancing measures, capacity and throughput will drop significantly.

That's why I'm sure appropriate measures (whatever they are) will be taken to minimize that effect. To point out something similar, I remember over a months ago there were some articles on UK's networks that the lockdown were affecting the workforce in the UK for harvesting produces that would causes tone of veggie rot on the field. Well, those were also the last time I heard about that issue, given the lack of follow up I would assume the situation either weren't as severe as expected, or/and steps were taken to ensure they didn't become severe.

[CBJ]

The vegetable harvest situation in the UK is farcical. Nobody listened to farmers when they explained that Brexit would mean they would struggle to get their fields harvested. People in favour of Brexit cried nonsense and claimed that it would give jobs back to the British workers. Then travel restrictions started being imposed because of the pandemic, and farmers put out an appeal to British workers to come and do harvesting work. Guess what? Hardly anyone took them up on the offer. They ended up having to make special arrangements to get workers flown in from Eastern Europe (via quarantine of course) to do the work. The last I read, a flight from Ukraine was prevented from leaving the country because of the pandemic, and another appeal was put out for furloughed workers to go and pick vegetables. I've not seen any update on the subject since then.

There doesn't appear to be too much of a problem with the vegetable supply chain in the UK so far. However, how much of that is because they've found an alternative solution, and how much is because so many of our vegetables come from overseas anyway, I'm not sure.

[Vertigo 7]

The vegetable harvest situation in the UK is farcical. Nobody listened to farmers when they explained that Brexit would mean they would struggle to get their fields harvested. People in favour of Brexit cried nonsense and claimed that it would give jobs back to the British workers. Then travel restrictions started being imposed because of the pandemic, and farmers put out an appeal to British workers to come and do harvesting work. Guess what? Hardly anyone took them up on the offer. They ended up having to make special arrangements to get workers flown in from Eastern Europe (via quarantine of course) to do the work. The last I read, a flight from Ukraine was prevented from leaving the country because of the pandemic, and another appeal was put out for furloughed workers to go and pick vegetables. I've not seen any update on the subject since then.

There doesn't appear to be too much of a problem with the vegetable supply chain in the UK so far. However, how much of that is because they've found an alternative solution, and how much is because so many of our vegetables come from overseas anyway, I'm not sure.

Same thing happens here. Immigrants largely take manual labor jobs like that, and right wingers collectively yell "dey tuk r jerbs!" but when farms and the like end up short handed, none of them are willing to step up and do the work. Such a freaking farce.

[RegisterMe]

What makes the irony even richer is that most of the people working in the agricultural sector (ie "farmers") voted for Brexit.

[Mightysword]

Politic aside, the point is the governments anywhere will take step to protect the food supply chain no matter how much it inconveniences them. Like I said, more so than any other kind of shortage (even more than medical supply), and perhaps even more than the death ton from the decease itself nothing will make people panic more than seeing the food supply chain collapse, and any governments regardless of the political standing understand that.

[Incubi]

Not too long ago while shopping at Walmart because it was open and had thing s that I need. I got very excited because I saw a bottle of rubbing alcohol. It was strange being excited over what is usually a trivial shopping item. I think that that was the minute that I realized just how much my own life was being affected by this beyond seeing the headlines every time I go online. More recently I found a large bottle of hand sanitizer and was again oddly happy about it. I know that hand sanitizer does not replace hand washing by any means, but I am delivering pizza though this and it is my only line of defense until I get back to the store to wash them more properly. This is a reality created not by the virus, but the behavior of hoarders who do not realize that they endanger their own community when they do not leave enough supplies for other people to get. Fortunately stores here are now limiting the buyers to only one item of these type of items, which is the only reason that I am finding then at all. But now the suppliers are unable to live up tp the demand.

[Chips]

What makes the irony even richer is that most of the people working in the agricultural sector (ie "farmers") voted for Brexit.

The type of comment always sits wrongly with me - strictly speaking it's correct. "Most" is more than half.

The original survey by farmers weekly was a self selecting survey (self selecting bias is well known issue), whereas a follow up put the outcome of farmers aligned with the overall national vote outcome. Meanwhile, the bile and hate for farmers you can read in places like the Guardian and it's comments is just catastrophic. I seriously doubt any have even read the survey or known where it came from, let alone the breakdowns by sector it revealed and reasons listed (namely the same as Joe Public at large mainly). It's amazing, farmers turned out to be just like the rest of the nation.

I've had to re-write this about a dozen times wasting a *lot* of time to strike a balance. My first attempt was just filled with links and a wall of text, but had to ask myself why

p.s. in 2013 the EU closed the seasonal agricultural workers scheme for Non EU workers, kinda why seasonal workers are all from the EU.

[RegisterMe]

What makes the irony even richer is that most of the people working in the agricultural sector (ie "farmers") voted for Brexit.

The type of comment always sits wrongly with me - strictly speaking it's correct. "Most" is more than half.

The original survey by farmers weekly was a self selecting survey (self selecting bias is well known issue), whereas a follow up put the outcome of farmers aligned with the overall national vote outcome. Meanwhile, the bile and hate for farmers you can read in places like the Guardian and it's comments is just catastrophic. I seriously doubt any have even read the survey or known where it came from, let alone the breakdowns by sector it revealed and reasons listed (namely the same as Joe Public at large mainly). It's amazing, farmers turned out to be just like the rest of the nation.

I've had to re-write this about a dozen times wasting a *lot* of time to strike a balance. My first attempt was just filled with links and a wall of text, but had to ask myself why

p.s. in 2013 the EU closed the seasonal agricultural workers scheme for Non EU workers, kinda why seasonal workers are all from the EU.

That's fair comment (though I don't class myself as a Guardian reader I have no basis on which to judge your observations - I dip into the Guardian occasionally to get balance, or to look for a different perspective, but that's about it). Suffice to say that we'll have less fruit and veg, or it will be more expensive, or we'll import more (or some combination of those outcomes).

[BrasatoAlBarolo]

That is the reason between March and April I couldn't find flour to bake my pizza at home.

I blame you for my lack of pizza, preppers!

[felter]

It's that time again where I am running out of my medications. Things still seem to be bad as my doctor cut my prescription for the medication I had problems with last time, from an 8 week prescription to a just 4 weeks. They came out with some weak assed excuse that it was that I wasn't being tested and that it was overdue, but the testing does not effect my medication. So I've been on the phone again and it's another medication that they are having issues getting a hold of, they have the one they didn't have last time so at least that is something. Then to make matters worse as I'm still not allowed out of the house, boots refused to deliver my meds and I have had to find a third party to get them delivered, fortunately the council have people that are doing this so I've had to make arangements with them and someone is going to pick them up and deliver them on Friday.

Also getting blood works done, got a nurse coming to the house also on Friday. So I think that is just 6 months behind when they should have been done, so I'll know if I'm still alive in a few weeks time from now. This will be the first face to face human contact I have had in several months, scary or what.

[BrasatoAlBarolo]

Same thing happens here. Immigrants largely take manual labor jobs like that, and right wingers collectively yell "dey tuk r jerbs!" but when farms and the like end up short handed, none of them are willing to step up and do the work. Such a freaking farce.

World is really small, apparently...
Exact same situation here.

[Chips]

That's fair comment (though I don't class myself as a Guardian reader I have no basis on which to judge your observations - I dip into the Guardian occasionally to get balance, or to look for a different perspective, but that's about it). Suffice to say that we'll have less fruit and veg, or it will be more expensive, or we'll import more (or some combination of those outcomes).

Oh it was no comment upon you, but it is an opinion I read a lot of (and still do). In the Guardian, if you ever want to waste an hour in the comments - especially if farming related - it's a definite sentiment that "they deserve it they brought it upon themselves, i hope they all go bankrupt, they reap what they sow, they are horrible xenophobic bastards, they all voted for Brexit". Nearly all those comments are not only based on zero actual knowledge, they're based on articles that misrepresented the real study that was done. Those people never read the report, let alone understood it.

I don't mind opinion, but it's a demonstrable false from the source that they are based off and used to fuel hatred and bile at an entire sector that has one of the highest suicide rates of ANY career in the UK. They *literally* know shit all about what they refer to. It's depressing they're so eager to wish further hardship and bankruptcy upon a vital sector of any country and exhibits the endemic contempt people have for "the countryside" and farming as an industry.

We may clap for carers - but if push comes to shove we'd starve way before most of us would need a hospital or medical care in the event of a complete shut down. Yet farmers... they should be damned rather than understood. Always grinds my gears.


Should say for clarity, live next to a farmer, live in a village that was farming oriented (now more commuter belt) and in an old farm house. A close family farming friend committed suicide from financial pressures - so I may be a *LITTLE* over zealous of the sector. Sure, some voted Brexit, maybe a percentage point of 3 above the regular Joe's. But to wish entire failure on all, or label them all as leavers.. that's no better than saying we ALL voted leave just because a the public (by small majority) voted leave. Those readers would bristle and argue about that claim but they spout it about another sector.
I'll stop talking now

[BrasatoAlBarolo]

I will never understand why Brexit has been voted, but I'll never truly understand how is fake news propaganda so effective.
I remember a lot of time ago, I was a teenager when Berlusconi started one of his first election campaign with "less taxes and higher salaries for everybody". I was a teenager and I still realized how impossible was such a promise. Turned out he more or less was in charge for the following two decades. Power of the media, I guess.

[burger1]

Looks like stuff other than food seems to be in shorter supply. The bird seed section at the store was nearly bare. Took the last bag of black oil sunflower seed and couldn't get any smaller seed. Electronics of various kinds are becoming shorter in supply.

[BrasatoAlBarolo]

Looks like stuff other than food seems to be in shorter supply. The bird seed section at the store was nearly bare. Took the last bag of black oil sunflower seed and couldn't get any smaller seed. Electronics of various kinds are becoming shorter in supply.

These are correlated: phones are becoming shorter in supply, so pidgeons are going to be the new mean of communication.

[Alan Phipps]

".. so pidgeons are going to be the new mean of communication."

Useful. So your mail and a meal all home-delivered in one go. I like it!

[birdtable]

But as you lick your lips and wipe away the surplus gravy .... your means of reply remains on the plate in skeletal form, featherless.