U.K Government Urged To Close Slaughterhouses As COVID-19 Infections Soar

'A number of theories have been suggested as to why meat processing plants are so badly affected'

MARIA CHIORANDO for Plant based News

JUNE 24, 2020

The U.K government is being urged to permanently close slaughterhouses as they continue to be hotspots of COVID-19 outbreaks.

The call comes from welfare charity Viva!, which is campaigning for the end of factory farming, to protect both animals and human health.

COVID-19 hotspots

U.S slaughterhouses have been branded 'COVID-19 hotpots' by a top analyst as infection levels within the facilities have outpaced the rest of the country.

According to the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting, which has been compiling data of the positive cases and deaths, as of June 23, there have been at least 25,700 reported positive cases tied to meatpacking facilities in at least 243 plants in 33 states, and at least 93 reported worker deaths at 39 plants in 24 states.

And the U.S is not alone: according to the Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return group (FAIRR), meat processing plants are at the center of Covid-19 outbreaks worldwide. Facilities in Germany, Ireland, Canada and the U.K among other nations have experienced outbreaks.

Read the full article here.