Farmers advised to have a Plan B

FARMERS have been strongly advised this week to have a contingency plan prepared in case they – or members of their family – fall ill with the coronavirus/COVID-19.

The IFA have advised that if a farmer was diagnosed with COVID-19, family members and helpers of the affected farmer, would also have to self-isolate and could be ruled out of work duties.

In response to this potential problem, the IFA at national level, have developed a Plan B document with essential information on what would be needed to keep the farm enterprise going if a COVID-19 problem arose.

The Plan B document is available to download from the IFA’s newly launched COVID-19 information hub on: ifa.ie/COVID19. This will be updated regularly with farmer-specific, coronavirus information on key issues.

IFA President, Tim Cullinan, said that the document had the most up-to-date guidance for farmers, with the centre-piece being a questionnaire and helpful hints to make it as easy as possible for someone else to run their farm for a period.

“The biggest asset on any farm is the farmer. If they fall ill, family helpers or those working closely with them, may also have to self-isolate and may not be available to step in.

“Farmers need to think of themselves and their business too. Without farmers, we have no agricultural sector,” said Tim Cullinan. Some of the key topics covered in the Plan B document are:

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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