We
take growing food and feeding our community very seriously. We love
doing it, but for all of us at the Co-Op one of the big reasons we got
into farming is because we believe that the industrial and global food
system is extremely fragile and when something like the coronavirus
happens, we can start to see the truth of that.
We take the health, safety and wellbeing of our community and ourselves
seriously and through this ever-evolving situation we are doing
everything we can to both continue to feed you and stay healthy
ourselves. Every week, from produce grown on our farm, we feed well over
200 local households. If we get sick, those people don’t get our
produce.
We are taking more stringent health and safety precautions both on farm
and at market (and everywhere in between) to make sure our produce gets
to you clean and safe. We will be trying out a new system at the markets
this week. It will be a little slower, but it’s the best we can come up
with at this point.
The current advice from government is that farmers markets are exempt
from the ‘no gatherings of over 500 people’ rule as outdoor food markets
are a vital part of keeping communities fed and healthy. Our weekly
market doesn’t have 500 people in attendance at any one time any way,
but we’re still being careful.
We will continue to adapt our systems, as we need to. But for this week this is how the market will look at our stall:
- We will have a ‘number’ system (Deli style) to prevent people having to cue.
- We will call out your number and personally serve you so that only our sanitized hands touch your produce.
- Please bring a basket, bag or box to carry your produce home in.
- We are encouraging everyone to pay by card where possible as handling cash can be unhygienic.
- We will be sanitizing our hands frequently throughout the market.
- Please make sure you also wash all produce before you eat it.
If you aren’t able to make it to the market or farm pick ups because you
are self isolating, please get in contact. We will deliver if needs be,
though it is definitely not our preference.
If you are unwell or have been around anyone who is unwell, please don’t
come to the market. Get in touch and we can work out an alternative so
you can still get produce. We need to stay well so we can keep feeding
the people!
It can be easy to let fear and paranoia take over. We are doing our very best to take a measured, clear and preventative approach to feeding the community.
Stay healthy and well, care for each other and don’t forget to check on
your neighbors and friends. In these times of increased ‘social
isolation’ lets all find ways to stay connected and strong.
The Harcourt Organic Farming Co-op team (Sas, Mel, Tess, Ant, Katie, Hugh and Merv)