There have been renewed calls for increased testing for workers in meat processing factories in the wake of coronavirus outbreaks in the Midlands.
Clusters in food processing plants in recent weeks are among the factors that have led to the spike in new cases in counties such as Kildare - one of the three counties which has seen a partial lockdown reintroduced.
O'Brien's Fine Foods in Timahoe, Co Kildare yesterday confirmed another six COVID-19 cases among employees, after confirming 80 cases earlier in the week.
Industry group Meat Industry Ireland has said 'robust protocols' are in place across all plants, and yesterday met with Government and health officials to "look at any additional actions that can be undertaken.
Opposition parties, meanwhile, have called for testing and inspections to be increased.
Sinn Féin said there's now a need for "rolling testing" in all food factories and any other workplaces where there's a high risk of coronavirus transmission.
The party's health spokesperson David Cullinane said: "We have been here before and warned that aggressive testing and tracing was needed. If we fail to do that we will see more spikes."
He said his party has been calling for more inspectors and more inspections of the sites 'for months'.
RISE TD Paul Murphy said he'd highlighted the risk of clusters in food processing factories in the Dáil over three months ago.
Over three months ago I warned the Minister that the meat plants and food processing industries could become major Covid clusters.
I was accused of smearing the companies.
These new outbreaks are a result of light touch and self regulation of these businesses. https://t.co/BNvUvA86Ih— Paul Murphy 🏳️⚧️ (@paulmurphy_TD) August 7, 2020
'Rigorous testing'
Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall also suggested there now needs to be "rigorous testing and close monitoring of all high-risk settings".
She said: "We have known about problems with COVID-19 clusters in the meat sector for some time and the Government must ensure that the industry takes responsibility for the provision of safe working and living conditions for their staff.
"The HSA has a key role to play in identifying at-risk settings and needs to ramp-up unannounced inspections of meat processing plants immediately."
Pat O'Toole, news correspondent with the Farmers Journal, explained there was a "sense of inevitability" that a bad cluster in a meat factory would lead to what we're seeing now.
He told Newstalk Breakfast there were 800 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in meat factory workers earlier in the outbreak.
He said: "There have been repeated calls by the likes of SIPTU for blanket testing of workers - who are deemed essential - in meat plants, because of the nature of the work and the proximity people were working towards each others.
"[There's] also the nature of the accommodation and lifestyles of factory workers, who are generally low-paid. Many of them are foreign nationals. They were at higher risk of community spread as well."
