Over the past weeks we have issued updates describing how we have been adapting our business in the current climate to enable Fera to maintain delivery of our services.
We understand the importance of our role in providing accessible and responsive support to all of our customers and partners and I am proud of how all of our teams have responded to the imperative to provide effective support to all of our clients whilst adapting to safe working during the pandemic.
We also recognise that our customers and partners working national and internationally are adapting to new information and new realities. So, I wanted to take a moment to let you know how we have also been adapting to ensure we can continue to support you:
Safety of our people, partners and customers:
Our utmost concern is the safety of our staff and that of our partners and customers so we have implemented a series of measures that ensure we can continue to support you, whilst also minimizing risk to all. We continue to follow UK guidelines and have introduced working from home (at scale), wherever practical, whilst also maintaining Key Workers and essential support staff safely on site. We are fortunate to operate from expansive laboratories in a secure, rural campus facility enabling safe distance working across all departments and safe commuting to work to protect our employees.
Ensuring the continuity of our ongoing delivery and service plans:
We have activated detailed business continuity plans throughout the business and continue to manage our supply chains effectively. Thankfully, we have not seen a material increase in the number of our staff unable to come to work, therefore we remain committed to offering our full range of services and maintaining current service levels and turnaround times. We continue to review the situation and, should this position change, we will communicate this to you in a timely manner.
Supporting the national need:
Fera is working closely with the UK Government to support the national need, for example, we are trying to develop reliable and robust testing platforms to increase the UK’s Covid virus testing capacity, by supporting our growers and food producers in the challenges of scaling up production for national food security or, by researching and monitoring new emerging risks which are more likely to enter the UK food chain at times of stress.
In challenging times like these, now more than ever, we remain committed to our mission – original thinking applied to deliver across all or our service lines to support you, our clients and to combat this pandemic.
