RWNZ chief executive to step down
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) chief executive Gabrielle O’Brien will step down at the end of June.
With thousands of migrant visas set to expire, National’s ag spokesperson David Bennett is urging the Government to act quickly to avoid a potential labour shortage for the calving season.
“There are currently 588 migrants on level 1 essential skills visas and a further 2566 on level 5 essential skills visas that are set to expire between the beginning of July and the end of September,” says Bennett.
“This is only counting those currently employed on dairy farms. There are thousands more migrant workers facing visa expiries across New Zealand’s primary industries,”
Bennett says these migrant workers are invaluable and farmers need continuity of employment as they head into calving season.
He says dairy farmers need assurance from the Government that they won’t be left in the lurch.
“Many of these visas expire from the 9th of July so the Government needs to move quickly to provide dairy farmers assurance that they will not be facing a labour shortage during an already difficult season.
“Migrant workers are a valuable part of New Zealand’s dairy industry and the wider primary sector. The Government needs to support these workers and their employers.”
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
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