Meat plants were among 240 COVID-19 related inspections carried out by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) between Monday and Wednesday of this week, Minister for Business Heather Humphreys has said.

She told the Dáil on Thursday evening that while the HSA doesn’t give details of individual inspections, she said meat processing plants were included in the inspections.

“Since Monday and up to Wednesday, over 240 on-site compliance inspections have been carried out by the HSA. [It doesn’t] give details of individual inspections [but] I can confirm that meat processing plants are included in these numbers.

“I can also confirm that COVID-19 related complaints have been received in relation to the processing plants, and that these are being responded to as appropriate, including by on-site inspection,” she said.

On Tuesday of this week at a special committee of agriculture, CEO of the HSA Dr Sharon McGuinness said that no meat factory inspections had been carried out. However, she did say the HSA was preparing to undertake inspections at plants.

She said this was due to the HSE taking the lead in controlling outbreaks in meat plants to prevent a spread of the virus to communities.

Deep clean

Also responding to questions in the Dáil was Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed. In relation a question about deep cleans being undertaken in factories, he said anybody who knows the food industry knows that the level of biosecurity in the food industry is extraordinarily high.

“I mean, you will find it easier to walk into a hospital today than you would to walk into a food business of any sort, that is because the biosecurity measures” that are in place in food businesses, he said.

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