Plant shutdowns have brought attention to the issue. Ottawa—The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the union representing its employees are locked in a public spat about the safety of federal inspectors in meat processing plants. Fabian Murphy, President of the Agriculture Union, says “CFIA is ordering its staff to work in facilities that obviously are not safe, and without the proper personal protective gear. “Under threat of discipline, CFIA is instructing some of its non-meat inspection staff to train up as instant meat inspectors to be deployed to potentially COVID-19 infected meat slaughter plants, whether they want to work there or not.” The union says CFIA has said anyone refusing an order to train for slaughterhouse inspection duties will be considered an act of “insubordination.” The issue has made headlines as a Cargill plant in High River, Alberta reopened while another one in Quebec has closed because of a COVID-19 outbreak among its employees. A JBS plant in Alberta went to reduced hours because many of its employees became ill. The disease transmission is high because of the close quarters the workers are in on the job. In response, CFIA says it's “committed to protecting the health and safety of its employees while maintaining critical inspection services. Masks and face shields are made available to all CFIA meat inspectors. “CFIA employees follow the health and safety guidance issued by the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada, as well as by local public health authorities, and follow protocols put in place at the establishments in which they work that serve to mitigate risks of exposure to the COVID virus.” If cases of COVID-19 are detected among the workers in a food processing establishment, the Agency “works with local public health authorities to determine the level of risk of exposure for CFIA employees, and their need for self-isolation and/or referral to health services for testing. CFIA inspectors complete a CFIA health self-assessment questionnaire before and after each shift.” As well, it works with safety officials “to ensure all measures recommended by public health authorities are in place before reintroducing employees into their work spaces.” The Agency has hired 70 new inspectors and 20 veterinarians and temporarily brough back CFIA employees who have recently retired. It has reassigned staff to areas of high priority and is providing them with necessary training and tools to properly execute food safety inspections. “When reassigning staff, CFIA looks first for volunteers. As a last resort, the CFIA asks employees with similar job descriptions and appropriate training to support meat inspection work.” While employees have the right to refuse work if they have reasonable cause to believe there is danger, there have been no cases of refusal to work to date, CFIA said. The union said 18 of 37 inspectors working at the Cargill plant in High River have tested positive for the virus as have three of six inspectors working at the Harmony plant in Balzac, Alberta. Murphy said, “We want a consistent national response to deal with the outbreak in food production facilities which have become one of the largest single sources of infection.” Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.