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Sam McIvor.
Beef+Lamb NZ chief executive Sam McIvor says there have been inconsistencies in how the Auckland border rules are being applied.
McIvor says some farmers have been allowed to visit a block of land on the other side of the border, while others could not.
He says B+LNZ has heard from frustrated farmers north and south of the border, because workers and providers are not able to get on-farm.
“We know the impacts on individual farms are significant and we have raised with MPI the need for a class exemption for sheep and beef farmers, like some other agricultural industries have achieved,” he told Rural News last week. “This would provide absolute clarity for farmers and those managing the border.”
McIvor says there are about 500 sheep and beef farmers within and just outside the Auckland region. He says while they completely understand the challenge the Government is facing, it is a particularly critical time of the year for farmers with lambing and calving in full swing.
“Often farmers have worked for 364 days of the year to get a live lamb or calf on the ground on day 365, and having access to their staff, farm supplies and – in some cases veterinary support – to ensure animal welfare, is critical,” he says.
MPI says it has supported the primary sector throughout the Covid-19 response to continue operating safely. It says in the past week it’s successfully worked with MoH to secure class exemptions for essential workers to travel across the Auckland border. MPI says these include those involved in horticulture, dairying, poultry production and the distribution of goods. It says it has also sought class exemptions for vets and some forestry activities.
MPI says its senior leadership have met with sector leaders frequently and is committed to helping the sector continue operating during alert level restrictions.
On Saturday, B+LNZ advised that sheep and beef farmers, as well as their workers and vets, have been granted an exemption by the Ministry of Health authorising travel in and out of the Auckland region in order to attend to livestock, and meet their duty of care obligations under the Animal Welfare Act 1999.
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