Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am just saying that I spoke to that ABP plant and asked it about what it had done for its employees. I am giving the basis for what we are saying. MCRI has spoken to migrant workers. Are there pockets around the country that are experiencing issues? In the context of previous contributions to the committee, is there a problem with management in factories not carrying out work properly on behalf of the workers?

A submission was given to the committee yesterday. According to it, every member of staff from management down is tested every day. However, we have just heard a suggestion that some people are taking paracetamol to reduce their temperatures. According to the submission, the HSE guidelines are being followed, the worst-case scenario is constantly under review and there are several Covid marshals. This all goes back to management. If we have to fix this problem, we must go to every meat producer in the country and figure out where they are falling down, but there are people who are doing their work correctly and we do not want to paint every meat factory with the same brush. Anyone who is working and treating migrant workers properly needs to be commended. I am not saying that ABP is doing this right or wrong, but it has the nearest factory to me and gave me a full list of what it was doing. It has nine plants in Ireland, representing approximately one fifth of all plants in Ireland.

We need to sort out the pockets and work together to ensure that all factories are compliant and looking after every migrant worker. In order for us to be more productive for the witnesses and to get the proper result for migrants, we need to know the pockets where factories are falling down. MRCI has statistics from the people it has spoken to and could work that information into graphs for areas around the country. We could then figure out the situation in each of our counties. Each Deputy from each county could get involved and ask why this or that factory was not up to standard. Where there is a larger problem in a different part of the country, we could come together and push to ensure compliance.

Could Ms McGinley give us statistics on where meat plants are falling short in this country, and if there are pockets in that regard, so that we can address those factories and help her organisation in the future?