Coronavirus outbreak at Moy Park's Ballymena site

A "very small number of employees" have tested positive for coronavirus at a Moy Park site in Ballymena, the food firm has said.

The company said those affected have been self-isolating on full pay in line with its Covid-19 sick scheme.

It said that an average of about 1,400 people are employed at the poultry production factory in Ballymena, including agency workers.

It is understood that fewer than 1% are affected.

Health Minister Robin Swann said the Public Health Agency (PHA) was working with Moy Park.

"It's important we do not engage in speculation," Mr Swann said.

"We have always said we will expect outbreaks and clusters as we start to ease restrictions, but what we really need is for people to interact with test track and tracing so we can manage them."

He emphasised that the term "outbreak" refers to two or more people being involved.

In its statement on Thursday, Moy Park said the individuals affected "have been self-isolating on full pay in line with our Covid-19 sick pay scheme and we are in contact with them to ensure they have the support they require".

It said it was working closely with the PHA and other government agencies, following their advice and protocols.

'Extremely concerned'

On Thursday morning, the Bakers' Food and Allied Workers Union said it was "extremely concerned" about the incident, first reported by the News Letter.

Regional officer Laura Graham said the union had been in contact with Moy Park "to ensure they are doing all they can to help and support employees, both the positive tested cases and those employees that may have been in contact with them".

She added that if numbers increased, the union would be calling for the factory to close "for a deep cleanse and sanitisation [so] that no employee should be impacted through any loss of earnings".

"If any employee believes this is not the case and has not happened please get in touch asap," she said.

Alliance Health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw said she raised the need for preventative action against Covid-19 in meat factories in an assembly question a month ago.

"We have seen instances elsewhere in the UK and Ireland of tens of cases being linked to individual meat factories, and literally thousands of confirmed cases were linked to a single plant in Gütersloh in Germany," she said.

"It is completely obvious that meat factories represent a serious risk, and all then more so because the nature of that risk is still not fully understood. It is clear, however, that asking people to work in poorly ventilated indoor locations represents a serious hazard."

'Enhanced cleaning and hygiene'

Moy Park said staff safety was its "number one priority".

"As coronavirus has spread across the communities in which we live, we are doing all that we can to help keep the virus out of our facilities and help prevent its spread," it stated.

"We continue to strictly follow all safeguarding procedures across our sites, such as enhanced cleaning and hygiene regimes, thermal temperature scanning, perspex screens, additional PPE and social distancing measures."

The Public Health Agency said it does not comment on individual cases or go into the detail of every incident that emerges, "as this could lead to people being identified, create stigma and focus attention on individuals, families or groups, and therefore deter others with symptoms coming forward to be tested".

Mr Swann said he had faith in the PHA and that it should be "given the space" to work.

The minister also referred to a recent Covid-19 cluster outside Limavady as being "of a real concern".

However, he added: "The work that has been done on that outbreak has been exemplary and up to 140 people have been traced and contacted and have come forward."