Tractor fires: Nests Behind Almost A Third of FMG Claims
Nesting birds are behind around $1.2 million worth of tractor fire claims every year, according to rural insurer FMG, which is urging farmers to check under the bonnet before starting work.
Rural insurer FMG is this week launching a mental health initiative aimed at the rural community.
Working with the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, FMG has devised a programme intended to help farmers, growers and rural people look to their personal health and wellness.
Called Farmstrong, it launches on June 3, offering practical resources to improve farmers’ wellbeing by better preparing them to deal with the ups and downs of living and working in rural businesses.
“Farmstrong’s focus on wellbeing aims to provide farmers and their families with access to resources and information through its website, which will help them to live well and farm well,” says FMG spokesman Colin Wright.
It will also encourage rural communities and farmers to connect with each other via social media, regional farmer ambassadors and regionally focused programmes and events to be announced at the launch.
“This is an important and timely initiative for us and the Mental Health Foundation to be supporting,” says FMG chief executive Chris Black. “It has the potential to make a positive difference for all farmers, their families and staff, and to support the rural sector’s growth objectives for five-ten years.”
A Farmstrong website will be live from June 3.
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Fonterra’s 2026 financial year was a year of delivery, with record volumes of milk collected, processed and shipped by the co-op.
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Dairy farmers, still holding onto their Fonterra shares despite switching milk supply elsewhere or exiting the industry, now face a stricter share sell-down requirement.
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