There is intense scrutiny here in Germany on why meat production factories have been one of the most common sources of coronavirus outbreaks across the country. It's an issue that's reflected Europe-wide.

Scientists believe they may have found contributing factors that led to the country's biggest single outbreak at an abattoir in North Rhine-Westphalia - cold temperatures and an insufficient air filtration system that allowed the pathogen to spread rapidly.

More than 2,000 people have contracted Covid-19 in the Gütersloh area and the vast majority are linked to the Tönnies meat processing factory...

Those workers are almost entirely migrant labourers from Bulgaria, Poland and Romania. They live clustered together in workers' accommodation and now they are living under strict quarantine...

Leaked video footage has emerged of workers sitting cheek by jowl in the factory canteen with no masks or social distancing evident...

The BBC has contacted Tönnies for a response. The company didn't want to comment on the allegations of exploitation or bad living conditions...

[T]hey said that they "apologised" for the outbreak and "acknowledged their responsibility". They claimed the footage of workers sitting together took place "before Covid-19 started"...