The country is slowly getting back to some sort of normality as the easing of COVID-19 restrictions continues to make steady progress. The introduction of Phase 3 of the roadmap for reopening the country, which came into effect on 29 June, has been a huge step towards getting Ireland back to business.

Many businesses have been able to open their doors for the first time since lockdown in mid-March, 16 weeks ago. The reality is, that these businesses are opening their doors to a very different situation than what they were used to. COVID-19 will have a lasting effect on society and indeed on the way in which we do business.

This week, Adam Woods speaks to Martin Kennedy from online retailer AgriDirect based in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan. The company has seen a quadrupling of their website sales since the beginning of lockdown as farmers go online for agri-products.

I take a look at how Aurivo has implemented change across different aspects of their business since lockdown and get a feel for how these changes will have a lasting effect on the company in the future. Again, technology has played a major role in transforming the livestock mart business while better use of social media has allowed the co-op to communicate key messages to their customers.

Finally, Shane Murphy catches up with experienced auctioneer George Chandler who has seen many changes throughout his almost 50-year auctioneering career but perhaps the greatest of these has occurred in response to the coronavirus lockdown with the introduction of online bidding for livestock.

George’s attitude to embracing change and having fun with it is one that we could all benefit from. We may face some difficult times over the next few months but everyone has a role to play in Ireland’s recovery. Supporting local business wherever possible would be a good first step.