New associate director for DairyNZ
After 20 years of milking cows, Northland farmer Greg Collins is ready to step into the governance side of dairy.
Some skilled migrant dairy farm employees will now be able to return to New Zealand from overseas.
The decision announced this week by the Government has been welcomed by DairyNZ.
“This is a real breakthrough for migrants who meet the criteria and gives their farm employers certainty to plan for the future,” said DairyNZ chief executive, Dr Tim Mackle.
Visa holders and their families will follow all border control processes and go into quarantine or managed isolation, before re-joining their communities in New Zealand.
DairyNZ says it has been working with the Government since the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown. The Government originally provided a six-month extension on employer-assisted temporary work visas due to expire by the end of 2020.
Mackle is strongly advising migrants and their employers understand the rules and confirm if they meet the exemption criteria before submitting applications.
“We don’t want to see additional stress, costs and disappointment for this group of patient people,” says Mackle.
DairyNZ says some migrants and their employers will not meet the criteria to come back to New Zealand.
“I am sure they will be disappointed and we thank them for the contribution they have made to our dairy sector,” says Mackle.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
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