Unity and co-operation between farmers and co-ops will be vital to industry and its people surviving the crisis facing them, Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) president Jerry Long has said.
Long welcomed the commitment of co-ops to work together to ensure the continuation of operations during the COVID-19 outbreak, whilst protecting the health and safety of staff, customers, suppliers, ensuring the continued supply of food and protecting animal welfare.
Long said he was hearted by the huge efforts made to ensure social distancing: “Customers should order product from co-ops by phone, for delivery if possible, be as organised as possible, call less often to the store, collecting more product per visit, abide by staff guidance regarding distance between customers, use the disinfectant provided, be patient as everyone is doing their best to protect us all from this disease.”
Marts
He said co-ops had re-iterated the need for marts to remain open during the pandemic, whilst implementing the strict social distancing protocols and controlling numbers in attendance.
“We need to ensure that the economy keeps working. We have to keep generating revenue to pay for the heroic work being done by our state services,” Long said.
It's vital that the supply chains within the food industry can continue to operate
“We need to keep producing clean fresh food for our customers in Ireland and overseas. It's vital that the supply chains within the food industry can continue to operate, within the current advice issued by our health authorities.”
Supply chains
He called on the Government, banks and the EU authorities to be creative and brave to facilitate liquidity within the supply chain.
“There are huge disruptions currently to the supply chain, with the food service business decimated.
“We need to ensure that all players across the supply chain - distributors, hauliers, service providers - can have access to credit to allow them to survive what could be several months of business disruption,” he concluded.
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Compliance with restrictions needed to avoid mart closures
‘The calm before the storm’ – Taoiseach
Unity and co-operation between farmers and co-ops will be vital to industry and its people surviving the crisis facing them, Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) president Jerry Long has said.
Long welcomed the commitment of co-ops to work together to ensure the continuation of operations during the COVID-19 outbreak, whilst protecting the health and safety of staff, customers, suppliers, ensuring the continued supply of food and protecting animal welfare.
Long said he was hearted by the huge efforts made to ensure social distancing: “Customers should order product from co-ops by phone, for delivery if possible, be as organised as possible, call less often to the store, collecting more product per visit, abide by staff guidance regarding distance between customers, use the disinfectant provided, be patient as everyone is doing their best to protect us all from this disease.”
Marts
He said co-ops had re-iterated the need for marts to remain open during the pandemic, whilst implementing the strict social distancing protocols and controlling numbers in attendance.
“We need to ensure that the economy keeps working. We have to keep generating revenue to pay for the heroic work being done by our state services,” Long said.
It's vital that the supply chains within the food industry can continue to operate
“We need to keep producing clean fresh food for our customers in Ireland and overseas. It's vital that the supply chains within the food industry can continue to operate, within the current advice issued by our health authorities.”
Supply chains
He called on the Government, banks and the EU authorities to be creative and brave to facilitate liquidity within the supply chain.
“There are huge disruptions currently to the supply chain, with the food service business decimated.
“We need to ensure that all players across the supply chain - distributors, hauliers, service providers - can have access to credit to allow them to survive what could be several months of business disruption,” he concluded.
Read more
Compliance with restrictions needed to avoid mart closures
‘The calm before the storm’ – Taoiseach
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