An employee at a Virginia meat-processing company has been caught on camera urinating while working on the production line.

The disturbing video at a Smithfield Foods Inc plant shows the employee removing his gloves and leaning up against a counter as he relieves himself on the floor.

He then puts his gloves back on and resumes working.

The company - which is the largest pig and pork producer in the world - said it has discarded more than 50,000 pounds of product that may have been affected by what Smithfield claims was an isolated incident.

The employee involved has been suspended pending an investigation by the company and the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

An employee at a Smithfield meat-processing plant in Virginia was filmed urinating on the job

The unidentified plant worker could be seen taking off his gloves and leaning against a counter as he relieves himself on the floor of the production line before going back to his task

In a statement Tuesday, Smithfield spokeswoman Lisa Martin said: 'The facility immediately halted production, fully cleaned the processing line, and sanitized all equipment multiple times before resuming operations.

'The facility and its employees’ immediate response and corrective actions to this isolated incident reflect the company’s commitment to ensuring the safety and quality of its products.'

It is unclear which meat products were thrown out or when the incident took place.

Smithfield has suspended the employee pending an investigation into the incident