Rapid testing pilot rolled out at Moy Park sites across NI

By Q Radio News

Rapid testing is being rolled at Moy Park sites across Northern Ireland and England as part of a new pilot scheme. 

It’s hoped that Lateral Flow Devices will pick up coronavirus asymptomatic staff and visitors within half an hour and feed results into a national testing database. 

It’s in partnership with the UK government which is seeking to implement mass testing across the country to identify the 1 in every 3 infected people who show no signs of being sick. 

UK health minister Lord Bethell said: “We’ve already come so far since first setting up a national testing programme at an unprecedented pace to help counter COVID-19, but we continue to strive to go further, faster.

“Innovations such as LFD testing hold the key to the next phase of our ambition to see mass, rapid testing available to people across the country.

“I’m delighted that Moy Park is working with us to pilot the latest technology and I look forward to seeing the fruits of their labour, both in helping target the virus locally, and helping find ways to roll this technology out further soon.”

Baroness Dido Harding, Interim Executive Chair of the National Institute for Health Protection, added:

“NHS Test and Trace continues to play a leading role in the fight against COVID-19 with over 32 million tests processed so far.

“The work of Moy Park across its sites will be essential in helping us explore the benefits of new technology in LFD testing.

“This pilot is one of many which will lay the foundations for the next phase of NHS Test and Trace – rapid testing - which will allow us to test even more people, even more quickly.

Meanwhile Kirsty Wilkins, HR & Performance Director at Moy Park said:“We are proud to be playing our part to help tackle the spread of coronavirus by participating in the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) rapid testing pilot Programme.

“Rapid asymptomatic testing is considered an important element of the national strategy to tackle the pandemic and this pilot will allow DHSC to gather more data to help define the best strategy moving forward, protecting those most vulnerable in our society.

“Safety is a condition at Moy Park and we continue to maintain the highest level of vigilance to stop the virus coming into our facilities and help prevent its transmission. Participation in the pilot scheme runs in tandem with the rigorous safety protocols we have in place such as thermal temperature scanning, enhanced cleaning and hygiene regimes, Perspex screens, additional PPE and social distancing measures.”