Germany’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday dismissed complaints from several meat processing businesses against stricter rules imposed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Karlsruhe-based court threw out six legal complaints from a sausage production company and several temporary employment agencies, saying that the lawsuits did not fulfil the requirements.

In the first year of the pandemic, a series of coronavirus outbreaks occurred in slaughterhouses across Germany, many of which employed temporary workers from Romania and Bulgaria who were housed in cramped accommodation provided by the employer.

At the start of 2021, the German government passed legislation banning the use of subcontractors with low-wage Eastern European workers for slaughtering, cutting and processing meat.

Temporary work has only been possible to a limited extent since April 1, 2021, and is to be completely prohibited after a three-year transition period.