Stormont ministers: We pay tribute to vital farm and factory workers and the service they are helping to provide

Food production is sometimes taken for granted, but in this time of crisis, we are starkly reminded that it is an absolutely essential service and is a vital part of the government’s response to Covid-19.

While many in the community can work at home, workers continue to clock on at farms, factories and shops. Therefore these workers must be protected in the workplace.

All employers have a duty to ensure that they are. Their safety is non-negotiable.

We want to pay tribute to the tens of thousands of workers on farms, in processing plants, working in distribution and across the retail sector – your hard work and resilience is putting food on our tables and we must never forget that.

Recent events show that an even sharper focus is needed on protecting staff, to allow the food supply chain to keep moving.

We want to recognise the lengths that employers have gone to so far to safeguard their workforce and we welcome the protocols being brought forward by the sector to give greater assurances and protection to their employees and we will work with employers in helping safeguard their vital staff.

Our primary goal in all of this is protecting our people, and part of that is having a functioning and responsive food industry.

The agri-food and retail sectors are part of the frontline response to this crisis. They deserve the thanks of the entire community for working round the clock to put food on our table.

And each of us has a duty to protect ourselves and keep those around us safe. Our message to employers and workers alike is: please follow the guidance; maintain a

safe distance from others and wash your hands often, for at least 20 seconds.

We will get through this crisis much better if we help each other. There is no second chance at this.

Edwin Poots, Agriculture Minister and Diane Dodds, Economy Minister