Written answers

Wednesday, 20 May 2020

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Meat Processing Plants

Photo of Pauline TullyPauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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899. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address a series of matters (details supplied) in relation to Covid-19 support at meat processing plants. [6554/20]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The information with regard to the numbers of workers tested or positive in meat plants is a matter for the personnel, the Food Businesses and the Health Service Executive.

My Department supplies PPE to its own staff and contractors in Food Businesses. 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 measures may vary slightly from plant to plant, but may include 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.

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