Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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885. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if plans will be put in place to test all workers in meat plants each day for Covid-19. [6186/20]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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A national Outbreak Control team has been established by the HSE to deal with all issues relating to Covid 19 in meat plants. My Department is represented on this committee and it is expected that recommendations, including any in relation to testing, will issue from this group in due course.

Any clusters of cases in individual meat plants, in common with clusters in other workplaces, are dealt with by local HSE-led outbreak control teams.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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886. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the plans being put in place to provide workers in meat plants with full PPE equipment. [6187/20]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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My Department supplies PPE to its own staff and contractors in Food Business premises.  It does not supply PPE to Food Business personnel.  Food business have put in place a range of protective practices and equipment to protect employee safety and these include measures such as the reduction of throughput rates at the plant, temperature checks on entry into the plant, the extension of operating hours and other safeguards such as “podding”, the provision of additional PPE, the use of perspex screens and the provision of additional facilities to support physical distancing measures.

A national Outbreak Control team has been established by the HSE to deal with all issues relating to Covid 19 in meat plants.  My Department is represented on this committee and it is expected that recommendations, including any in relation to testing, will issue from this group in due course. Any clusters of cases in individual meat plants, in common with clusters in other workplaces, are dealt with by local HSE-led outbreak control teams.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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887. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the HIQA will carry out inspections of all meat plants here. [6188/20]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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A National Outbreak Control Team has been established, chaired by the HSE, to co-ordinate the response to COVID 19 outbreaks in meat plants in Ireland. My Department is represented on that Committee. I expect that policy in relation to all aspects of dealing with Covid 19 outbreaks in meat factories will be guided by the output from this Committee. I am not aware at this time of any plans for HIQA to carry out inspections of meat plants here.