Wednesday, 25 March 2020 17:23

Farms with up to five staff don’t need to register — FAR

Written by  Staff Reporters
FAR chief executive Alison Stewart updated farmers this afternoon. FAR chief executive Alison Stewart updated farmers this afternoon.

A farm with five or fewer staff and observing social distancing among workers need not register as an essential business.

This was announced by Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) chief executive Alison Stewart this afternoon.

“We are aware that the wording around registering as an essential service has been confusing, and have sought clarification from MPI around the process and what advice we can give to you,” she said in a message to farmers.

“They have now confirmed that if you are a farmer with five or fewer people (including the owner) working at your farm business, and you are able to achieve social distancing measures between staff in your workplace, including travelling, to and from work, then you do not need to register.

“If you have more than five staff (including yourself) and/or you cannot guarantee 2 metre distancing of staff due to the type of work being carried out, then you must fill out and submit the Safe Practice Registration Form on the MPI website.”

This advice also applies to any contractors or industry personnel visiting or working on your property. Remember, that although your farm is still operational, you must enforce the physical distancing rules.

“We are aware that many of you are receiving emails such as these from several sources, and that it can be annoying,” says Stewart.

“However, as a levy body, we are obliged to keep in contact and will continue to do so. We will endeavour to keep emails as short as possible and only send them out when information changes.”

For more information, go to the MPI website to register or contact MPI on 0800 00 83 33.

Or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further details on registering or the registration process.

More like this

M.I.A.

OPINION: The previous government spent too much during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite warnings from officials, according to a briefing released by the Treasury.

Gaslight much?

OPINION: Labour leader Chris 'Chippy' Hipkins is carrying on the world-class gaslighting of the nation that he and his cohorts started after their disastrous Covid response; now trying to undermine the Covid inquiry to protect his own backside.

Bikinis in cowshed

OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content posted on social media and adult entertainment subscription site OnlyFans.

Featured

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.

B+LNZ launches AI assistant for farmers

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched an AI-powered digital assistant to help farmers using the B+LNZ Knowledge Hub to create tailored answers and resources for their farming businesses.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

A step too far

OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…

Save us from SAFE

OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter