Watch the video (note: the images were not shot in the relevant slaughterhouse). The text continues below that.
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Of those 600 employees in Groenlo, 250 are currently being tested on Covid-19. These are mostly foreign temporary workers who live in Germany.
The coronavirus is like a peat fire among us, Heerts tells Omroep Gelderland. “If you have not tested positive today, it may happen in the coming days.”
Also see: Migrant workers with corona work in the Scherpenzeel bacon factory
More than 40 people have now been tested positive, says the mayor of Apeldoorn about the situation at the Groenlo branch of the slaughterhouse. Yesterday’s tests are announced today.
Leaving everyone at home is, according to Heerts, an advice from the infectious diseases doctor of the GGD Noord- and Oost-Gelderland. Heerts: “These six hundred people should not come into contact with each other or others anymore, because the risk of infection is simply too great.”
Cooperation with employment agencies
Vion works with employment agencies that offer the infected employees. Heerts. “We need to find out which agencies they are.” The slaughterhouse chain does not mean which temporary employment agencies are hired. The group also does not want to respond to a camera or microphone.
Slaughterhouses turn out to be sources of contamination. That was already the case in Scherpenzeel. Vion stopped production in the cattle slaughterhouses in Bad Bramstedt, Germany.
Heerts, mayor of Apeldoorn, does not blame the company for anything. “People work together in different services, they live together and they also travel to work together.” Many infected slaughterhouse temporary workers live in Germany.
Slaughterhouse employees are called upon not to have contact with others. That is for the time being on a voluntary basis, says Heerts. “But we can encourage them to do so at the end.”
Ministries: ‘Call very serious’
The Ministry of Food Quality and the Ministry of Health state that they have received the letter from Heerts and Marcouch and that they take the call for intervention ‘very seriously’. “We will quickly discuss this with the security regions,” said a spokeswoman. Just before that, the Ministry of Food Quality pointed to the responsibility of meat companies.
Vion moves production
Slaughterhouse Vion fully cooperates and maintains intensive contact with all employees during this period until they are allowed to get back to work, ‘he said in a press release. Meat production is temporarily moved to other Vion locations in the Netherlands.
“The health of our employees and that of the residents in this region is paramount to us,” says Ronald Lotgerink, the top boss of Vion Food Group. “We realize that this raises questions: as a crucial company, we have taken all necessary measures to ensure the health of our employees. We also meet all conditions to prevent contamination. Nevertheless, many employees appear to be infected. This is a new situation for us as a result of the circulation of the coronavirus in the border region. ‘
Ton Heerts this morning on Radio Gelderland.
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