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COVID-19: PROTECT THE FOOD CHAIN

20 March 2020

Official statements:

Special projects and initiatives

Health and Safety

COVID-19: PROTECT THE FOOD CHAIN

On behalf of the East-West Seed Managing Board

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, East-West Seed continues to get its vegetable seeds as close to its smallholder farmers as possible. 

Disruption of vegetable farming now could lead to shortages of nutritious vegetables in the near future. Vegetable farmers need continued access to seeds and other essential agriculture inputs. 

Working together with other seed companies, central and local governments, we are doing our utmost to get exemptions from lockdowns in order to minimize the impact on farming. 

Foremost is the health and safety of each individual and all our teams around the world. We go beyond the necessary: we ensure all our employees are safe, we encourage working from home and a safe working space by maintaining social distance at all our facilities. 

Disruptions in logistics could get worse, so our teams are making sure our inventory is close to where our vegetable growers continue to farm. 

We started East-West Seed almost forty years ago, but our mission remains the same: to improve the lives of farmers working in the most challenging environments imaginable. These vegetable growers - like our company - face all the adversities of Mother Nature: whether droughts, floods or pests.
Forty years of falling and getting up again, pioneering and experimenting. 

Never giving up. 

As a result, the resilience of our teams has been tested many times over. And each time, after each crisis, our employees, vegetable farmers and our business partners came out stronger together. 

External stress makes a species stronger. This time is no different. 

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Below you can find more information about what we are doing to minimize the risk of COVID-19 at East-West Seed for our employees and our partners.

 

Safety measures at EWS

  • Temperature screening at entry points
  • Working from home is highly encouraged
  • Communicating verified information regularly with our employees, both online and offline with FAQs and ongoing situation updates
  • Social distancing techniques
  • Hand sanitizers provided in work spaces
  • All travel and face-to-face meetings suspended 

 

 

Visitor guidelines

This applies to any visitor to our offices, research facilities, employees, or customers' premises (including our farmers).

STOP

  • People with fever, cough, sore throat or other flu-like symptoms are not permitted to visit
  • People who have traveled to a high-risk area for COVID-19 or had contact with a person known to be infected with COVID-19 are not permitted to visit

Checklist prior to entering EWS facilities:

  • Get the temperature check
  • Wear a mask
  • Give your information:
  • • Did you travel to a place with the COVID-19 incident?
  • • Have you had any interaction with a person who might have COVID-19?
  • • Do you have any symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath?

 

Employee guidelines

We regularly communicate with all employees about COVID-19. This includes online communication in the form of emails, forum discussions, and SMS alerts as well as offline communication media such as posters.