Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 December 2020
473. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 271 of 25 November 2020, if environmental samples were gathered at any other meat processing plants since July 2020 other than in the course of the referenced pilot project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42657/20]
View answerEnvironmental monitoring (bio-aerosol measurement) has not been undertaken in any meat processing plant other than that which was undertaken as part of a retrospective investigation (in late July/early August) in the pilot study plant, in which a COVID-19 outbreak had occured in April 2020.
However, it should be noted that the report of this pilot study has been shared with other meat plant operators (via Meat Industry Ireland), with the public health authorities and with other relevant state agencies. Therefore, the findings from this pilot study are now informing COVID-19 risk mitigation and management in meat plants.
Furthermore, my Department is currently collaborating with other state agencies, university-based researchers and meat plant operators in further studies of risk factors and enhanced measures for risk mitigation for COVID-19 in meat processing plants. The academic participants in this applied research project (“UPCOM”) are being funded by Science Foundation Ireland for the next 14 months. This funding commenced on 1st December 2020.
This includes funding for further environmental monitoring in meat plants - specifically bio-aerosol measurement in different operational areas of meat plants but also the testing of waste water discharges for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. This funded work will also evaluate and validate alternative air handling systems in boning halls and other meat cutting rooms with a view to minimising the risk of human respiratory infection while continuing to comply with food hygiene regulations.
