There are currently no active cases of Covid-19 in meat plants in the country, according to Meat Industry Ireland (MII).
The industry body that represents the meat processing industry said that the position has “significantly improved” recently.
In a statement, MII said: “As of today, there are no active cases in our meat plants. Our absolute focus is to maintain this position.
Very substantial measures have been put in place and we can confirm that, of the staff that [have been] affected, over 96% have now returned to work and the remainder are completing their isolation.
The MII statement added: “The stringent control and mitigation measures in place, which are also being verified by the HSE [Health Service Executive], HSA [Health and Safety Authority] and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, will be maintained in the weeks and months ahead, with no room for complacency.
“Vigilance is the priority as general restrictions are lifted across the economy,” the statement concluded.
Rosderra
This week it emerged that authorities in China have suspended imports of pigment into the country from the Rosderra plant in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary.
The move came as authorities in the Asian country began halting imports of meat from several plants in various countries that have seen outbreaks of Covid-19 among their workers, with some other plants voluntarily ceasing exports to China for similar reasons.
The plant in Roscrea is the smaller of Rosderra’s two plants (the other, larger one being in Edenderry, Co. Offaly).
While some pigs may be redirected towards Edenderry, Roscrea is continuing to operate and supply the domestic market here and other export markets for pigmeat.
In early May, Rosderra said that “a number” of its employees had tested positive for Covid-19 at its Co. Tipperary plant.
However, the processor had stated that it would continue with a “scaled-down process” in the short-term while its affected staff members were self-isolating.