SIPTU Manufacturing Division Organiser, Greg Ennis, has called for the immediate creation of a ‘Farm to Fork’ meat industry taskforce to deal with the spread of Covid-19, with more than 600 cases of the virus reported in plants across the country. “There is an urgent need for a taskforce involving all meat industry stakeholders to be set up by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. A sector specific strategy is long overdue for the meat industry to tackle the threat posed from Covid-19. Workers in meat plants are employed in close proximity to each other and this has almost certainly been a conduit for the spread of the virus. The living conditions of the many low paid workers in the industry is another contributory factor. “A collective approach, encompassing elements of the recently agreed ‘Return to Work Protocol’ and other additional measures must be tailored for the meat industry to prevent a potentially disastrous situation emerging in plants across the country. The meat industry has become another front line in the fight against the virus and must be prioritised. We are asking the Minster for Agriculture, Michael Creed, to urgently establish a ‘Farm to Fork’ meat industry taskforce to counter this serious threat to workers, their families and their communities.” SIPTU represents thousands of workers in dozens of meat plants across Ireland.
SIPTU calls for meat industry task force to confront Covid-19
