First severe shocks in the EU meat supply chain
Hundreds of workers infected with the novel coronavirus have been detected at Muller-Fleisch unit in Birkenfeld, Germany and Litera meat, in Spanis province of Aragon, creating the first serious waves of panic in the meat supply chain in the European Union.
In Germany, 131 were found infected in the factory, while more than 200 other tests are expecting a result. Local media is suggesting the company tried to cover the scandal by putting the responsibility on the local authorities. In a press release, the management of the German meat processor admitted that the situation is real but mentioned that besides informing the employees, the rest of the measures is out of its legal limits. " “We have also coordinated with legal advisors. The general decree is a security measure that the state is solely responsible for enforcing. As a company, we have no way of doing this, more: delegating this task to companies would be unconstitutional. For this reason, we focus above all on raising awareness among employees and working closely with the district offices," it is said in the press release.
The number of cases among Muller Fleisch's workers is believed to be so high due to poor accommodation conditions for migrant workers, arrived mainly from Romania.
In the other case, 180 workers from the processing unit owned by Litera Meat in Aragon have been tested positive for COVID-19. Three Spanish unions representing the interest of workers in the meat industry have filed complaints against the company. The number of infected people in the plant stands for about 24% of the total number of employees. Contacted by EuroMeat News, Manfred Bos, the CEO of the Spanish company mentioned that some of the details revealed so far by the local media "are wrong or missing info" and further details about the situation in the unit are to be made public in the coming days. Litera Meat is a company owned by Pini Group, Italy, one of the largest pork producers in Europe.
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