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Catherina Cunnane
Catherina Cunnanehttps://www.thatsfarming.com/
Catherina Cunnane hails from a sixth-generation drystock and specialised pedigree suckler enterprise in Co. Mayo. She currently holds the positions of editor and general manager at That's Farming, having joined the firm during its start-up phase in 2015.
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Some workers in food supply chain will be exempt from self-isolating if ‘pinged’

George Eustice has confirmed that some workers in the food supply chain will be exempt from self-isolating if they are ‘pinged’ by the NHS App.

Nick Allen, CEO of the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), said this will “provide some relief to the industry”.

“However, we are still missing key details and clear guidance on exactly how this will apply to individual companies and workers.”

Food supply chain

Last week, the group warned that if the “UK workforce situation deteriorates further, companies will be forced to start shutting down production lines altogether”.

Allen issued the stark warning in light of staff shortages in meat plants across the UK.

So far, the government has announced that key workers in ‘about 500 sites’ in the food supply chain will be allowed to ‘test to return to work’ instead of having to self-isolate after they have been ‘pinged’ by the App or contacted by Test & Trace.

According to Mr Eustice, this includes about 200 food production sites. “However, at this stage, we do not know who is on that list.”

“It is also not yet clear which workers at other sites that are not on that list will be exempt from self-isolation.”

“In this separate scheme, we understand that companies will need to apply for exemption for individual workers on a job-by-job and person-by-person basis, but we do not know what jobs would be eligible.”

The association called on the government to publish more information giving “clear, unambiguous guidance”.

Pingdemic 

It wishes to identify which sites are exempt, which job roles qualify for exemption and exactly how these new rules will be applied.

“We also question the Government’s decision to end the provision of free lateral flow testing kits to companies last Monday just as the ‘pingdemic’ started to take hold.”

“This just makes it more difficult and more expensive for companies to provide workplace testing and will inevitably start filtering through into higher food prices.”

The group hopes that various departments that will be handling exemption applications for individual workers between now and August 16th have sufficient administrative capacity to process them “quickly enough”.

“Our fear is that, if infections keep rising at the current rate, there will be so many non-exempt workers taken out of the system that.”

“Regardless of those protected ‘key sites’, the rest of the supply chain around them will start failing,” he concluded.

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