Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of meat plants and where we are going with the sector. It is one of the big issues. Yesterday in the Dáil, a Member claimed there was a certain number of cases in Cork and the southern half of the country. We need clarity on the entire structure, including how things are happening and how the reporting is happening. If there was a case of Covid-19 in a school, the information would be published and we would be aware of it. Strict restrictions have been introduced for the bar and restaurant sector, where customers' names are taken and businesses must be very transparent as to how they are running their show. In respect of the Meat Industry Ireland issue, we need to find out exactly where the cases are, how many there are and what the issue on the ground is. At the moment we are dealing with a dangerous vacuum, with rumour and counter-rumour, and nobody has a clue what is happening on the ground.

This morning, I took the opportunity to call the chairperson of Meat Industry Ireland to have a conversation about getting that information out to the general public.He was open to the idea of Meat Industry Ireland telling the general public if there are cases and where they are. We are in a dangerous vacuum and that leads to paranoia among the general public. I do not know if there are 200 cases in a meat plant in Cork but the issue is that we do not have clarity one way or the other. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine must come before this House, hopefully in the next few days, to set out what guidelines Meat Industry Ireland will use to provide information to the general public. This will follow what the education and training boards and the pub and restaurant sector are doing. We need to have that information because, without it, we will have rumour and counter-rumour and that is not good for society. I do not believe we have 200 cases in a meat plant in Cork but because of the lack of clarity, we have no idea exactly what the true story is.