Abattoir crew a cut above vaccination curve

Narrikup’s Fletcher International abattoir is leading the charge in the fight against COVID-19, with 99.4 per cent of its 450-strong workforce now fully vaccinated. The State Government last week announced COVID-19 vaccinations will be compulsory for about 75 per cent of WA workers, including abattoir and meat processing staff, by the end of the year. Abattoir staff must receive their first dose by December 1 and be fully vaccinated by December 31. But Fletcher International achieved the 99.4 per cent vaccination rate before the mandate was announced. The abattoir opted to educate workers, then rostered them to receive the jab at Albany’s Pioneer Health clinic. Fletcher International WA general manager Greg Cross said the abattoir, about 37km north of Albany, was on track to achieve a 100 per cent vaccination rate by mid-November. “The precedent is set for the meat industry; the State Government already makes it mandatory that processing plant employees must vaccinate for Q fever,” he said. “We were already in the process of rewriting our policies (before the mandate was announced) so that it’ll be a requirement for any visitors, contractors or transport operators to have at least their first, if not their second, vaccination, otherwise they won’t be allowed on site.” Mr Cross said contractors and suppliers were being consulted about the changes. “Seeing what’s happened in NSW and Victoria over the past couple of months, we need to be 100 per cent proactive, not reactive,” he said. “Once COVID hits here, it’s too late to start running off and getting vaccinated because the queue could be very long.” Several Victorian abattoirs, including the Australian Lamb Company’s Colac meatworks, were temporarily shut down recently after a spate of COVID-19 cases among workers. Mr Cross said WA abattoirs — which authorities have deemed as high-risk hotspots — had been on “high alert” since COVID-19 first made headlines last year. “It can happen in any facility where there’s close contact when you’re in your production areas,” he said. “When COVID first hit the international scene, we took measures pretty much straight away. “But since the Delta variant hit the scene, it’s certainly escalated the necessity to take more action, and the best defence against the Delta variant is convincing the workplace that people need to get vaccinated.” Precautions included turning off vending machines, banning cash in the canteen, sanitising door knobs and enforcing the wearing of masks where physical distancing was not possible. Workers sat in designated groups during meal breaks, car pooling was recorded and visitors and transporters had to log where they travelled in the past 24 hours. WA’s main pork abattoir, Linley Valley Pork, has achieved an 85 per cent vaccination rate thanks to an on-site vaccination clinic and $100 incentive for workers. Patrick Walsh, chief executive of Linley Valley Pork’s parent company Craig Mostyn Group, said about 250 of LVP’s 400 staff used the on-site clinic while others had been vaccinated elsewhere. “We’re just trying, number one, to get everyone safe, and number two, to make sure we’ve got food security for the State to be able to produce the animals,” he said. While the extended closure of Victorian abattoirs would cause “significant pressure” on prices in the Eastern States, it would have “very limited impact” in WA, according to Thomas Elder Markets analyst Matt Dalgleish. “Even if it drags on and we get a backlog of lambs waiting to be processed, I don’t think that would actually flow through to any price impact in WA,” he said. “It’s almost like WA operates independently of the south-eastern states when it comes to sheep and lamb markets, and to a degree, cattle markets. “There is a very low correlation between the monthly price movements in the west and east; WA has a much stronger relationship with what’s happening with regards to, say, live export pricing, within your abattoirs.” Mr Dalgleish said this was largely due to WA’s geographical isolation. “Sometimes you get a couple of months or so where prices do tend to move together, or our prices support yours, but most often your market kind of does its own thing,” he said. Premier Mark McGowan last week said the vaccine mandate was necessary to prepare WA for the “inevitable” community transmission of COVID-19. Companies risk a $100,000 fine if they do not comply and individuals could face fines of up to $20,000. The mandate also applies to staff at supermarkets, restaurants, pubs and cafes, teachers, and childcare, public transport and construction workers. Government employees, members of parliament and other retail workers will have to get vaccinated in order to attend work in the event of a lockdown.