Covid-19 outbreaks at Irish meat plants raise fears over worker safety

Third of workers at factory in Tipperary test positive, while McDonald's supplier forced to temporarily halt production

An outbreak of Covid-19 among workers in a meat factory in Tipperary has raised fears that the virus is spreading through abattoirs and meat-processing plants in Ireland.

Sinn Fein's spokesperson on agriculture, Brian Stanley, told the Irish parliament last night that 120 workers at the Rosderra Meats plant in Roscrea had tested positive for the virus. He also said that of 350 workers at the plant, up to 140 were off sick last week. Rosderra is the largest pork-processing company in Ireland.