Production at German meat factory Toennies halts hours after restart

Source: Xinhua | 2020-07-18

Shortly after the restart of operations at a plant of Germany's largest meat processing company Toennies, production had to be halted again. Butchering was now scheduled to start later on Friday, a Toennies spokesperson told German media.

During inspections by the German health authorities, the company was informed on Thursday afternoon that it had to make "additional modifications at work positions," the spokesperson added.

The necessary changes were already made at the pig slaughterhouse in the night to Friday, but still had to be officially approved. The spokesperson stressed that the company was closely cooperating with the authorities.

In order to minimize the risk of infection with COVID-19, German officials had ordered Toennies to install separating walls in the workspace as well as better filter systems for circulating air in the affected production facility.

In June, more than 1,400 employees at Toennies had tested positive with COVID-19. As a result, the plant in North Rhine-Westphalia was closed down and contact restrictions on public life had been temporarily re-imposed in two districts.

On Thursday, the four-week compulsory stop of production at the plant ended and around 8,000 animals were slaughtered in the first shift. During normal times, the plant processes up to 25,000 pigs per day.

According to the German press agency DPA, the German health authorities gave permission on Thursday evening local time for the next production step, the cutting of the pigs. On Friday, a trial run would begin under the supervision of the authorities.