News Corona crisis
COV: 'no problems in Dutch slaughterhouses'
In America, corona infections have been found among the staff in various meat factories. European slaughterhouses are also seeing infection numbers rise, causing increasing panic. What is the situation in the Netherlands?
Slaughterhouses were already nervous because there is talk of it in Europe overcrowded cold stores. The contamination of a large number of workers within European slaughterhouses is not helping the situation and is causing increasing panic within the meat supply chain.
A large number of infections have been detected among employees of various factories. In Germany, many Muller-Fleisch employees have been infected at the Birkenfield site. Also in Spain, at the company Litera Meat in Aragaon, there are many members of staff with the virus.
Muller-Fleisch
At the location in Birkenfeld, Germany, hundreds of employees have now been infected with the corona virus. According to the German authorities, 300 of the approximately 700 employees in total are infected with the virus and are currently in quarantine. It is believed that the number of infections among workers is so high due to poor housing of migrant workers, mainly from Romania.
Of the 300 infected employees, more than 200 employees are of Romanian origin. The Romanian ministry said in a statement that the majority of infected Romanian staff members have no or only mild symptoms.
Litera Meat
In Spain, there are many cases of infection among staff at the company Litera Meat, part of the Pini Group in Italy. As far as is known, 180 employees at the location in Aragon have tested positive for the corona virus. In total, about 24% of the total workforce is infected. Complaints have been filed against the company by Spanish trade unions representing the interests of workers in the meat industry.
Situation in the Netherlands
According to Patrick de Leede, press spokesman for the COV, there are no significant problems in the Netherlands. “In the Netherlands we apply strict measures regarding hygiene and health at work. These measures were already in place before the outbreak of the coronavirus, these measures have only been tightened since the outbreak. There are even stricter hygiene requirements and controls”. De Leede does mention that absenteeism due to the extra caution is increasing slightly. To avoid any risk, employees go home with a single cough, for example. The luxury of a flexible layer of labor comes in handy here.
Chanti Oussoren
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