Almost 1,000 calls have been made to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Covid-19 helpline that was set up earlier this year, according to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue.
The minister was responding to a question on the matter from independent TD for Laois-Offaly Carol Nolan, who enquired about the number of calls made and the number of staff assigned to provide the service.
In his response, Minister McConalogue said: “My department opened its Covid-19 helpline on April 1, 2020, in order to assist farmers and others with Covid-related queries that apply to agriculture and related issues.
Since then, the helpline has received a total of 975 calls. The number of staff assigned to this service is kept under review and varies based on demand at any given time.
Continuing, the minister said: “Currently, two staff are allocated to answering the helpline and, due to the volume of calls, this can take place in addition to other work.
“This number is sufficient to provide a prompt response time to callers and can be increased as necessary,” he said.
“The department also provides farmers with information and advice through the Covid-19 Hub on its website,” the minister concluded.