The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is asking people to only come to its offices by appointment for the foreseeable future.

A text message circulated by the department said: “In order to protect customers and staff, we are asking that you do not visit Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine offices without an appointment.

“For most services, you can use our phone, email or online facilities,” the department advised.

“However, if you think that a meeting is necessary, phone the office first and we will arrange an appointment, if required,” the text concluded.

Department laboratories

In other department-related news, it was revealed last week that laboratories operated by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will soon be assisting in the efforts to detect and diagnose Covid-19 in humans.

A spokesperson for the department told AgriLand that the laboratories will be used to assist the National Virus Reference Laboratory at University College Dublin (UCD).

The spokesperson stressed that the department would continue to provide laboratory services in the areas of food safety and disease control.

“The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s laboratories are currently finalising arrangements to support and assist the National Virus Reference Laboratory, UCD, in dealing with the expected increase in demand for testing for the virus that causes Covid-19 over the coming weeks,” the spokesperson said.