Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

All I can say is that is not the information available to our Department. We have staff in those places and we have contracted temporary veterinary inspectors. I want to say that is certainly not the case on the basis of the information available to me.

In all of this, public health is the primary concern. The processing of meat is important but it is a secondary concern to the primacy of the health of the people working in those plants. The measures in place include social distancing, hand-washing etiquette, Perspex screens, reduced throughput and provision of PPE. All of these have been part of the response that the industry has been proactive with regard to. This was part of the negotiations we had early on with all the stakeholders in terms of their responsibilities as businesses. I have to say I have been encouraged by that response. There has been engagement by those meat plants. HSE staff and officials from my Department have been involved. The feedback to me is that there has been strong co-operation.

7 o’clock

We are aware of six clusters, five in processing plants and one in a deboning plant

See this speech in context