Govt to rethink farm health and safety rules with practical reforms
Farmers are welcoming new Government proposals to make farm health and safety rules more practical and grounded in real-world farming.
Sheep beef farmers are happy that most farms will not be classed as high risk work places and won't be required to have a health and safety representative, following changes to the Health and Safety Reform Bill.
Responding to suggestions that farmers are getting off lightly, Beef + Lamb NZ chairman James Parsons says sheep and beef farms average fewer than two full time employees per farm.
"Can you imagine the farm manager and the shepherd standing on a hill and electing the health and safety representative? Not classifying farms as high risk doesn't exempt farm businesses from any liability under the Health and Safety Reform Bill. But the amendment does recognise some basic practicalities of implementing the legislation on farms."
Beef + Lamb NZ, along with Federated Farmers, DairyNZ and farmers, has actively engaged with the government and WorkSafe New Zealand to help build a better understanding of the context and issues of farming.
"Few people realise that farms have 110,000 workers managing over half of New Zealand's estate. When you include families that live on these farms coupled with numerous visitors it's hard to eliminate every accident. However as an industry organisation we have said to the Government we will take responsibility for improving our safety record, so work with us please.
"We're all on the same page when it comes to reducing farm fatalities and accidents so along with other organisations in the sector, we've been working closely with government ministers and officials to find workable rules that deliver that outcome."
Parsons says the Government was to be congratulated for taking the special nature of farms into account and that Beef + Lamb NZ would be playing its part by supporting farmers to engage with good health and safety practices.
"Most farmers are already on-board with taking responsibility for making their farms a safe workplace as it's part of their everyday practices – just like their responsibilities to the environment and being good stewards of the land."
Parsons, who is in the middle of a series of roadshow meetings around New Zealand for the 2015 Sheepmeat and Beef Levy Referendum, says the health and safety regulations were a hot topic at many of the meetings and farmers would be pleased to hear about the proposed changes to the Bill.
"There are still many areas we need to keep working on with officials, particularly regarding quad bikes. Current WorkSafe New Zealand interpretations where passengers are supposedly not allowed in many cases creates more risk rather than less. This is the case if it means an inexperienced rider needs to operate their own quad bike rather than ride safely with an experienced rider who knows the farm and its hazards."
A major feature of the Ashburton A&P Show, to be held on October 31 and November 1, will be the annual trans-Tasman Sheep Dog Trial test match, with the best heading dogs from both sides of the Tasman going head-to-head in two teams of four.
Fewer bobby calves are heading to the works this season, as more dairy farmers recognise the value of rearing calves for beef.
The key to a dairy system that generates high profit with a low emissions intensity is using low footprint feed, says Fonterra program manager on-farm excellence, Louise Cook.
Rural retailer Farmlands has reported a return to profitability, something the co-operative says shows clear progress in the second year of its five-year strategy.
According to a new report, the Safer Rides initiative, which offered farmers heavily discounted crush protection devices (CPDs) for quad bikes, has made a significant impact in raising awareness and action around farm vehicle safety.
OPINION: In the past weeks, much has been said and written about one of New Zealand's greatest prime ministers, James Brendan Bolger, who died just a few months after his 90th birthday.

OPINION: The Greens have taken the high moral ground on the Palestine issue and been leading political agitators in related…
One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact…