Drought in Russia: Grain region particularly affected
In Russia, the main region for grain cultivation has been experiencing dry conditions for weeks. This is likely to result in lower yields and poorer quality than previously expected.
The immigration policy of US President Donald Trump is causing turmoil in the meat industry there. More than 75 people were arrested during a raid at a meat processing plant in the state of Nebraska.
Current headlines in the US are dominated by nationwide protests by the population against the raids conducted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The agency's tough actions stem from President Trump's goal to increase deportations of allegedly illegal migrants in the US to a new record level.
Dozens of meat workers arrested
The impact of this was felt by the meat processing company Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha. ICE conducted the "largest workplace enforcement" at the beginning of the week, which the state of Nebraska has seen during President Trump's tenure, according to Reuters. US Congressman Don Bacon informed local media that 75 to 80 people were arrested during the raid.
Raid came as a complete surprise
While the local police were informed by ICE beforehand, the raid came as a complete surprise to Glenn Valley Foods. Especially since the company claims to adhere very strictly to immigration status regulations. Chad Hartmann, president of Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha, stated that the affected plant uses E-Verify for this purpose. E-Verify is a digital federal database for checking the immigration status of employees. Hartmann told Reuters that he mentioned this to a federal official during the inspection. The official, however, only responded by saying that "the system is broken" and he should contact his local congressman.
Meat industry relies on immigrants
The incidents in Omaha are unsettling the entire meat industry in the US. More than half of all employees in this sector are immigrants, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Human rights activists, including the ACLU of Nebraska, have also condemned the raid.