News Corona crisis
Schouten threatens to close slaughterhouses
According to Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten, the slaughterhouses must better protect their employees against the corona virus. The meat processing industry has until tomorrow evening (May 26) to come up with concrete plans. The reason for this is the number of corona infections at a Vion slaughterhouse in Groenlo.
A meeting is scheduled for Tuesday in which the meat processing industry can present its new plans. If these plans are insufficient, the minister will withdraw all NVWA inspectors for protection. That would mean that the slaughterhouses can close their doors, because without inspectors, slaughtering is not allowed.
Large-scale testing
To see the situation in the slaughterhouses, Schouten has asked the GGDs to test all slaughterhouse staff for the virus. If companies do not cooperate properly, the security region of North and East Gelderland, among others, is considering introducing a mandatory collective quarantine, which also means that the slaughterhouse must close its doors. "I also think that public health is really more important than whether you still have a piece of meat on your plate tomorrow night," said the minister.
According to Schouten, this adequate action is not only related to the situation in the slaughterhouses. The way in which personnel are transported and how the personnel are housed also has to do with this. Many migrant workers work in the slaughterhouses, who are often housed closely together. The minister believes that this is all the more reason for employers to ensure that staff can perform their work safely.
Emergency meeting COV
Now it is up to the sector to act and come up with a watertight plan. The Central Organization for the Meat Sector (COV) held consultations with the members this afternoon (May 25) at noon. This consultation mainly ensured that the clock was set with regard to the extra measures. A consultation will take place at the ministry this afternoon at 12 p.m. A plan of action will then be drawn up with all the results, which will be presented to the minister tomorrow evening.
Although the COV only welcomes more tests, it is not yet possible to elaborate on possible additional measures.
France
After the infected slaughterhouse employees in Germany and the Netherlands, it is also France's turn. In 2 French slaughterhouses, a total of 100 employees have tested positive for the virus. The companies are not connected to each other and are more than 100 kilometers apart. The employees are now in quarantine.
Jorine Cosse
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