Australia’s biggest meatworks JBI shut down after cyberattack, leaving workers unpaid
Australia’s biggest meatworks is shut down after a massive cyberattack – leaving thousands of workers without pay and forcing up meat prices
- Cyber criminals have shut down Australia’s largest meat processing company
- JBS Foods left workers without pay after attack, which also hit other countries
- The meatworks closure could force meat prices to rise for Australian consumers
Australian authorities are part of an international hunt for cyber criminals who’ve shut down the nation’s largest meat and food processing company, JBS Foods.
JBS facilities in other countries have also been hit in a cyber attack that could affect meat supply chains world wide.
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the federal government was doing all it could to get Australian abattoirs functioning again, and to limit effects on domestic supply and export markets.
Australian authorities are part of an international hunt for cyber criminals who’ve shut down the nation’s largest meat and food processing company, JBS Foods (pictured)
The company has 47 facilities across Australia, including abattoirs and feed lots.
Mr Littleproud said it was too soon to say who might be behind the attack that shut down computer systems, including those that deal with quality control.
‘The technology they use goes to the heart of the quality assurance of the beef they are processing,’ he told ABC radio.
We need to make sure we can get that up and going to give confidence not just to consumers in Australia, but also to our export markets.
‘They are obviously working with law enforcement agencies here in Australia and we’re working in partnership with other countries to get to the bottom of this.
‘Since it is a global attack it’s important not to speculate that it’s emanated from any particular place, just yet.’
He could not say if it was a denial of service attack or a ransomware attack, but warned that if it was not resolved quickly the economic consequences could be very serious.
‘It will depend how long this goes on for, and how long JBS are offline, for it is a supply chain that starts from the farm gate, right through to feed lots, to truck drivers,’ he said.
The closure of the major meatworks could cause meat prices to rise as there is less supply (Stock)
The Australian Meat Industry Employees Union said thousands of workers could not do their jobs on Monday and would be out of work without pay until the problem was fixed.
‘The meat in the sandwich is that this is a concerted effort against Australian business and the workers will suffer as a result of that,’ Australian Meat Industry Employees’ Union Queensland Secretary Matt Journeaux said.
‘There’s six sites in Queensland that will be affected… and around the nation there would be significantly more.
‘In most processing facilities the workers are on daily hire arrangements and unfortunately if they don’t work, they don’t get paid.’
The Australian Meat Industry Employees Union said thousands of workers could not do their jobs on Monday and would be out of work without pay until the problem was fixed (Stock)
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