Dawn Meats has temporarily closed one of its meat plants following the discovery of four confirmed cases of Covid-19.
The processor’s Kilbeggan facility in Co. Westmeath is the affected plant, Dawn Meats said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the processor said:
“Dawn Meats takes the health, safety and welfare of employees, suppliers, contractors and visitors extremely seriously.
We have implemented a detailed series of measures to manage risks associated with Covid-19, and to maintain social distancing in our facilities in line with procedures recommended by the HSE [Health Service Executive] and other Government agencies.
“When we became aware of four confirmed cases of Covid-19 amongst workers in Kilbeggan we decided to defer production in the plant yesterday.
“The cases reflect less than 2% of staff at the plant – however, the decision was taken out of an abundance of caution whilst we review the situation,” the spokesperson added.
No production was scheduled today or over the bank holiday weekend, and no decision has yet been taken with regards to deferring any scheduled activity next week.
“The decision will have no impact on our ability to supply customers or receive cattle from farmers throughout our network of plants in the country,” the processor concluded.