The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) is asking members to do what they can to protect agricultural contractors.
The call came in response to the UK Government’s implementation of stricter ‘stay at home’ measures to slow the spread of Covid-19.
The farm organisation noted that agri contractors are one of the ‘key workers’ that are exempt from being at home due to their line of work. “Their profession puts them in a very vulnerable situation as they conduct jobs for various farmers and visit numerous locations on a weekly basis.”
‘A valuable role’
UFU deputy president, Victor Chestnutt, said: “Agri contractors play a valuable role in the Northern Ireland agriculture industry.”
“Their service is particularly important at this time of year when there is plenty of field work to be done and the weather improves.”
“Due to the work that they do, agri contractors must travel to where the work is, visiting farms and locations across Northern Ireland.”
Therefore, he added, it is vital that farmers, who avail of an agri contractor’s services, follow social distancing guidance and take extra precautions to protect them during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Safety measures
Chestnutt noted that farmers should minimise face-to-face interaction with contractors on their farm as much as possible.”
“If they need to speak to them to provide details about the job that needs to be done, they should do so by phone.”
“In this day and age, the majority of people have access to a mobile phone – We should be maximising our mobile usage to protect one another and ensure we stay apart.”
“Farmers should allow agri contractors to get on with their job without engaging in direct contact with them.”
He said that agricultural contractors are as vital to the food production process as farmers and “we need their service to continue throughout this pandemic”.
“Agri contractors work hard around the clock so we can continue to provide quality produce, supplying local shops and larger retail stores across the country. Their work is essential to our plan to manage COVID-19.” the UFU deputy president concluded.
