Politicians are calling for an emergency recall of a Dail committee after a spike in coronavirus infections.
Sinn Fein agriculture spokesman, Matt Carthy, says the Oireachtas Covid Committee must resume to deal with the latest surge.
And he wants an immediate ramping up of testing and inspections by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) at the meat processing plants at the centre of the latest spikes.
He said: “I have written to the chairperson of the Dáil’s Special Committee on Covid-19 requesting an urgent recall of the committee to discuss these matters.
"As well as ensuring a further engagement with Meat Industry Ireland, we also need to hear directly from the trade union representatives of workers on the site.
"We also need clarification from the HSA regarding their plans to ensure adequate inspections of these sites, and their rationale for their failure to conduct unannounced inspections up to this point.
“We cannot have a situation whereby thousands of businesses, such as local pubs, are forced to remain closed while the sources of considerable Covid-19 outbreaks are not subjected to the full rigours of a robust inspection and testing regime.”
Mr Carthy also spoke up on behalf of the workers in the meat processing plants where the latest Covid-19 clusters have occurred.
He said they should be protected in all of this.
He added: “Government must regulate for the immediate closure and deep-clean of any plant with an outbreak ensuring that workers are compensated for any loss of income."
