Coronavirus: Bord Bia details the huge task facing our food industry

Just how bad things could get was seen in the United States last week, when Smithfield Foods had to close its Sioux Falls, South Dakota plant until further notice.

Smithfield Foods, one of the largest meat-processing companies, warned the US is perilously close to the edge in terms of meat supply, after it had to close its Sioux Falls, South Dakota pigmeat last Saturday, until further notice, when hundreds of its 3,700 employees tested positive for Covid-19.

Little if any effect on production of raw material, nor on processing, but huge disruption beyond the farm and factory gates, was the challenge described when Bord Bia issued its Covid-19 Response Plan for the Irish food industry this week.