The Department of Business has told the Irish Farmers Journal that 500 additional inspectors are being drawn from other departments to assist the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) with inspections in workplaces.
It said 250 inspectors have been drafted in from the Department of Agriculture. It’s understood that a large majority of these inspectors will be the 250 veterinary staff already employed by the Department of Agriculture who currently operate in factories.
The staff will do HSA checks in addition to their normal workload.
A spokesperson for the Veterinary Officers Association (VOA), said the HSA plans were still at the “infancy stage.”
“The HSA will provide us with checklists,” he said. “We wouldn’t be the enforcement, we’d be the eyes on the ground.”
The Department of Business said it expects “a very small minority of cases” would need to be referred to the HSA.
Last week, director of public health in the midwest, Dr Mai Mannix, said there were 15 factories under active investigation and 20 clusters. A cluster consists of two or more cases of COVID-19.
Confirmed cases
Minister for Health Simon Harris wrote to Independent TD Denis Naughten confirming nine meat processors affected in the HSE north east region, three in the HSE’s midlands region, two in the east, and one each in HSE south, HSE south east and HSE west.
The Department of Health has confirmed there were 1,091 cases of COVID-19 in meat and poultry plants as of 8 June. The figure marks the lowest weekly rise in meat factories in a number of weeks.
On 6 June, it said it had been advised that 88% of coronavirus cases in meat factories are “no longer infectious, as they are past the infectious period of 14 days.”
Illness benefit
Conversely, the number of farmers in receipt of the Illness Benefit increased by 100 farmers. Overall, 500 farmers are receiving the payment, which is worth €350/week.
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