[full response attached]

2 July 2020

The report outlines the need for policy action at EU level, while focusing on the German situation. Hence our response will have the same focus, however, we underline that our initiatives are broader.

Several months prior to the COVID-19 outbreak Danish Crown were already in the process of evaluating the possibility of recruiting more contract workers as permanent workers...

The allegations related to excessive working hours - up to 16 hours a day - are not recognised by any of our sites...

[W]e have 3rd party auditors monitoring the pay roll and working hours records for contract workers... Unreasonable deductions are not reported from any of the statutory audits...

[W]e have provided the necessary PPE...

Ongoing reminders of social distancing and other recommendations to stay safe has been communicated... No reports have been made related to anyone feeling compelled to go to work...

Danish Crown generally audit the accomodation for contract workers on an annually basis... During the COVID-19 outbreak we have increased such audits and more has been conducted by our own employees...

The "Verhältnis Kodeks" and the "Freiwillige Selbstverpflichtung" [...] have changed a lot for the better in the German meat industry... True changes will only be reached if the German Government enacts legislation, which effectively ends the excessive use of contract workers in Germany...