Coronavirus/CoVid-19/Pandemic/Health

Meat Industry in The Netherlands Can’t Work with 1,5-meter Distance

The slaughterhouses have trouble meeting the measurements from the government to work with at their workspace. There are more infections there.

There are a lot of issues going on in the meat industry at the moment since the outbreak of the Coronavirus. Such as they couldn’t keep up the measurements with so many people working close next to each other in one room. The last weeks have been difficult for them.

The meat industry has chosen for an earning model with 80 percent of labor migrants, most of them live in Germany (Emmerich and Kleven) with 12 people together, all in living complexes. They will come to the company with busses all at once. The FNV wants the slaughterhouses to work on half the power to prevent the Coronavirus. Think about working in more shifts, during the day and during the evening. Then you can keep the 1,5-meter distance much better. This way they can make a good production. Otherwise, they have to get the right protective gear.

The question is why employees in the meat industry get infected with CoVid-19. First of all, slaughterhouses are important jobs and people work in big groups together a lot. Employees are standing close next to each other.

The poll from the FNV

Federation of the Dutch Trade Union Movement (FNV) has organized a poll under her members in the meat industry. John Klijn of FNV says in the Dutch radio program ‘Nieuws&Co’, on the 22nd of May, that they have done research in the meat industry, what is wrong under their member in the meat industry during the Coronavirus crisis. It is — according to them — a very intensive industry where a lot of people work together within a square meter, there will come in more than 100 people at the same time. Then you stand in line when they’re in the dressing room according to the hygiene protocol (which the meat industry already has) and wear overalls en washing your hands where you also stand in line. Then they also have to pass through the hygiene sluices with so many. That is what they do all the time. Also this whole protocol they’re doing a few times per day, also during lunch and there it is difficult to keep the 1,5-meter distance.

When they have a break, they have to do all the things the way back around. The lunchrooms are not counted on the 1,5-meter distance and it is difficult to keep the distance. In the beginning, the industry already had a protocol, but they are put in a bad way because of one case that was happened. On paper, it is fine, but in practice, it is difficult to keep the distance. That is what the poll said.

The result from the poll FNV took under their members working in the meat industry: it seems that the corona measurements don’t keep up very well because of space. One-third says you can’t have the 1,5-meter distance, there are no mouth masks and no plastic protection glasses to protect themselves. More than half says that there must be someone to see if everything going well. The poll from the FNV also said there are a lot of complaints from people in the meat industry, but not in the case if Groenlo (see later the story). This one had everything good in order.

Critiques on the poll by brand organization COV. They say it has been filled by 1% of the meat industry employees.

KDS concerned

Quality inspection Animal Sector service (KDS) is very concerned, according to an internal email that has been sent to Dutch news company ‘RTL Nieuws’: “Several people in our company are ill and some have complaints such as fever. People are not tested in most cases, under current government policies, we are not sure if they are infected.” That is what the email said, according to this news company ‘RTL Nieuws’. KDS employees, together with the union, sent an urgent letter to agriculture minister Carola Schouten. They wrote that urgent action is needed now to prevent more employees from falling ill. The KDS worries a lot. KDS is a company that has judges for slaughterhouses and inspect those.

COV

In slaughterhouses over the world has problems with people being infected with the CoVid-19. They will be closed. In the USA one of the five employees, infected with the CoVid-19, is working in the meat industry. People infected still leads to problems with the production as there are little employees doing the work. In some supermarkets, there is no more meat anymore. Even Wendy’s made a different menu without meat on it.

In Germany, meat companies were the center of CoVid-19 infections. With West Weisch about 200 employees were infected, (1200 total employees). A Vion in Bad Bramstedt, north of Hamburg, is closed as 128 employees were placed into quarantine because of one infection there.

On the 19th of May, the Central Organization for the Meat Sector (COV) in The Netherlands said on their website that, with Dutch slaughterhouses, it has been not the same situations as in Germany and the USA. Now they come back from their statement.

The COV said now they think it is a good idea to test all 12.000 employees in slaughterhouses, the half care labor migrants. They, the COV, also said earlier that personnel should get those tests. The COV wants employees in the meat industry to get the privilege to be tested first and before the other Dutch citizens when we all are allowed to let them tested.

Vion lets know that their employees will be tested when employees have complaints.

Half power

FNV wants employers in slaughterhouses to work on half power. According to the union, the sector does “too little to prevent contamination. You can fly with a protocol, but that is not enough. At Vion in Boxtel, a staff member has already died of Coronavirus, and someone is in a coma in the west.”

Migrants

Union FNV has long been concerned about the conditions in which slaughterhouse staff work and live. “In many cases, these are labor migrants who live together in large groups, in little huts”, director John Klijn told earlier. “Then they go to work together in vans, and it is also difficult to keep a distance in the slaughterhouse itself.”, He continues.

Van Rooi Helmond

Animal doctors and their assistants, who worked on the slaughterhouse in Helmond, will be tested too. That writes the Dutch newspaper ‘Algemeen Dagblad’. Van Rooi Meat in Helmond got people tested positive: two inspectors of Animal Sector Quality assessment (KDS) and an animal doctor from The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. Now they are testing all employees.

One of the inspectors also worked at the slaughterhouse in Boxtel. Also, animal doctors and other inspectors worked at Vion in Boxtel.

Probably employees of the Van Rooi Meat will tested all. Director Addy van Rooi has 62.000 m2, think about nine football scares, where the meat and their employees are. That is compatible with Vion in Groenlo (with 45 people infected). KDS worries about it.

Groenlo

The slaughterhouse at Den Sliem in Groenlo is part of the Vion Food Group, which has seven locations in the Netherlands and dozens in Germany.

All 600 employees Vion Groenlo must go into quarantine for 2 weeks. Not allowed to go to work. Ton Heerts from Safety Region North- and East Gelderland told them so. That is the advice from the GGD. Also, the slaughterhouses must make measurements in a way that employees can’t go on the terrain of the Vion in Groenlo. Vion in Groenlo closed as there were 41 infected. 212 people are tested. Most of them are labor migrants.

Recreation bungalow park and camping in Groenlo, Marveld Recreation, had a lot of cancellations in one day, because one person in the meat industry, who works for Vion in Groenlo, got infected by the virus. Edwin Bomers from Marveld: “It was in the news for about fifteen minutes and the first cancellations were a fact. The reasons from the guests were that there were a lot of infections in Groenlo. But the nuance is that there is a company with labor migrants who had one infection. We don’t play a part in this case.”, He says. According to him, it gives a negative image for his company. He got tens of cancellations within hours.

Scherpenzeel

In Arnhem, two labor migrants were placed on a ship to get into quarantine for two weeks. These two migrants were employees works for with Vion in Scherpenzeel. The company took all the measurements. Other 28 employees of Vion in Scherpenzeel have Coronavirus. At Vion in Scherpenzeel 1100 employees.

Esther Ouwehand from the Dutch political party, Party for the Animals, says that people are not tested if they are sick or not sick in slaughterhouses. “So, the outbreak in Scherpenzeel is the top of the iceberg.”, she says.

Arnhem mayor Ahmed Marcouch, also chairman of the Gelderland-Midden Safety and Health Region, says the ship in Arnhem is a safe solution.

Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Carola Schouten: “It is the Safety Region that says how to go further in the situation. They will do the communication as well. But I support the what the Safety Region does. And let them know too.”

80% of the employees are labor migrants who is living together close.

On the 3rd of May, 28 labor migrants from Velp were placed in quarantine on a ship in Arnhem. They all live together in a living building. Police helped them going to that ship. Those people got food, drinks and other stuff from their employment agency. These people work in the meat industry. All tested negative but all have complaints.

Closing the companies altogether

Central Organization for the Meat Sector (COV): “The corona measures in Dutch slaughterhouses are well adhered to. Unlike in Germany, temporary closure of these companies is therefore not an issue.”

“In addition, you will soon have gigantic problems, from empty shelves in the shops to bulging pigsties.”, said Van Rooi on a reaction closing all Vion companies.

Always check the (latest) facts with your country.

The numbers and stories are from yesterday or earlier this day. I haven’t seen new numbers so far, when there will be new numbers, rules and interesting situations here in The Netherlands, I will inform you.

Read more Coronavirus stories: All stories about the Coronavirus crisis in The Netherlands How To Change Your Mindset Within 24 Hours The Consequences of Closing Schools Realized The Weird Feeling Of This Time Coronavirus Stories and What Emotions do with us

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Agnes Laurens is a writer. She writes for the local newspaper. Agnes lives in Bunnik, The Netherlands, with her husband and three daughters.

Writing is — aside from playing the violin — one of her passions since childhood. She is on Twitter and Instagram.

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