increase font size
Federated Farmers Southland sharemilker chair Jason Herrick.
A New Zealand Government directive for farmers to pay new overseas workers higher rates has been slammed.
While farmers welcome the Government's decision to issue border class exemptions for another 200 dairy workers, the increase in pay levels is causing anger.
Farmers employing these extra workers must pay them $92,000 per annum or 1.75 times the current median wage for an assistant dairy farm manager.
Those employed as herd manager must be paid $79,500/year, which is 1.5 times the current median wage for dairy herd manager roles.
Federated Farmers Southland sharemilker chair Jason Herrick told Rural News that increases in pay levels is his biggest issue.
"Setting those levels for junior staff and senior staff creates a whole new set of problems with current staff," Herrick says. "Now they will feel hard done by, so to make things smooth sailing we now have to increase the wages of our current staff to be seen to be dealing with pay equality."
OPINION: Bouquets this week from the old mutt for Fed Farmers and Groundswell for continuing to resist the proposed Gore District plan and its intention to apply costly "cultural values" across the district and a raft of land classifications that are unworkable and counterproductive.
A verbal stoush has broken out between Federated Farmers and a new group that claims to be fighting against cheaper imports that undermine NZ farmers.
Taupiri farmer Chris Woolerton is tipped to take over as Federated Farmers Waikato president from next week.
Farmers want more direct, accurate information about both fuel and fertiliser supply.
Federated Farmers is celebrating following the Government's announcement that young farmers will be able to use their KiwiSaver funds to buy their first home or farm.
Tickets have officially gone on sale for Fieldays 2026, marking less than 50 days until the event.
A recent Beef + Lamb New Zealand ‘Farming for Profit’ field day drew about 100 people keen to hear about the policies that drove performance at Erewhon Station, located on the Taihape to Napier Road.
The New Zealand International Business Forum (NZIBF) has welcomed the Labour Party's support for the New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement.
Wallaby control efforts in Canterbury have received a major boost, with Canterbury Regional Council releasing $2 million from its Pest Management Reserve.
Finding and supporting ‘champion farmers’ – or top-quality farmers - is one of best ways of getting other farmers to take the appropriate measures to mitigate environmental issues, according to a leading Irish scientist Dr Mary Ryan.
Zespri has unveiled Grown for Good, a refreshed global brand platform, in an effort to reinforce the company's commitment to nutrition and creating value across the kiwifruit industry.
OPINION: When Donald Trump returned to the White House, many people with half a brain could see the results for…
OPINION: Media trust has tanked because of what media's more woke members do and say.
