Headlines have started to appear indicating the shutdown of meat packing plants around the country as a result of COVID-19.

So, just how concentrated is meat processing and how impactful might a plant closure be? As it turns out, the National Pork Board puts out information on processing capacity. According to their data, the U.S. has the capacity to slaughter 506,470 pigs per day. Almost 60% of this capacity comes from just 15 plants.