Calls have been made for workers at a Llanybydder meat plant to be tested regularly for coronavirus.

Following calls for universal testing of all workers across all meat-processing plants in Wales, Elin Jones MS has called for workers at Dunbia on the Ceredigion/Carmarthenshire border to be regularly tested for Covid-19.

This follows acknowledgement from Welsh Government that outbreaks in meat-processing centres have been a “feature of the pandemic around the world” and that a review has been commissioned.

Ll?r Gruffydd MS, Plaid Cymru’s shadow minister for rural affairs in the Senedd, last week called universal testing an “obvious solution” to a “clearly identified risk”.

There are three known outbreaks of coronavirus linked to meat-processing plants in Wales, with further outbreaks identified in England, Germany and the USA – all centring around meat-processing units. It is thought that conditions within meat-processing plants make it easier for the virus to spread: cool, damp conditions, lack of ventilation and lots of smooth surfaces which means the virus is able to survive longer. Workers often have to work in close proximity to each other, and a noisy environment results in workers projecting their voices to make themselves heard – adding to the risk of the virus being transmitted by air.

Ms Jones has called for the testing of all workers in meat processing plants in Ceredigion to ensure we do not get a repeat of events seen in Llangefni, where the 2 Sisters plant was forced to close as a result of an outbreak.

She said: “Meat-processing plants are particularly susceptible to coronavirus infections: Steps must be taken to reduce the risk to staff and the local processing chain, such as testing all workers, even those who are asymptomatic. Dunbia is a major food processing business for our region, and the knock-on effects could be huge if an outbreak appears there, and is not stopped quickly. We must take every precaution to help keep this important part of our economy functioning safely.”