'We are not immune': Farmer warns others not to be Covid complacent

An anonymous farmer has warned others not to be Covid-19 complacent
An anonymous farmer has warned others not to be Covid-19 complacent

A farmer has highlighted his 'grave concerns' that members of the farming community are not taking the Covid-19 crisis seriously enough.

Writing anonymously for NFU Scotland's website, the farmer shared his own family’s experience of the coronavirus, urging others to remain vigilant.

He said some farmers were paying little heed to social distancing and other rules - with anecdotal reports of reasonable sized gatherings and little concern for the health of each other.

"Farmers are not immune to this and the risks are still high," the anonymous farmer wrote.

"I would suggest that we, as an industry, escaped the worst of the virus purely due to the time of year when we were pretty much self-isolating anyway - being busy with sowing, calving and lambing."

As a 'relatively fit' farmer, he said he came down with 'absolutely horrendous flu', which rendered him unable to do anything for days - "even getting out of bed was a real effort."

"If this had happened a month later when we would have been flat out lambing, not being able to help would have been a potential disaster," the farmer wrote.

"Even by lambing time, I would still get very breathless and would say it took two months to get back to normal.

"Other symptoms at the time were loss of taste and smell, which are now a significant indicator for Covid-19."

The farmer added that others in the industry were 'very protective' of livestock health, but not their own.

"No pig or poultry farmer would allow other farmers on to their pig or poultry unit - let alone bring in another pig or hen of unknown health status and mix it with their stock," he said.

"I would encourage everyone to think about the possible consequences of bringing Covid-19 into your household."

The anonymous farmer concluded: "So please think before you shake a neighbour’s hand, go out without a mask or go on that social visit - have I done everything I can to protect the health of myself and my family?

"Most importantly stay safe and do not get complacent."

The government has released specific advice to farming businesses on how to operate safely during the Covid-19 crisis.