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.
Shearing has been deemed an essential service, but people must come first, says Mike Barrowcliffe, NZ Shearing Contractors Association president.
“The last thing an 80-year-old farmer wants is a whole lot of young people who haven’t been self-isolating turning up to his place to shear his sheep,” he says.
Everyone should put safety first throughout the whole supply chain – from the farmers themselves to contractor employees, Barrowcliffe told Rural News.
“They need to ask the questions, is it essential and can it wait?” he says.
He says while everyone wants to go to work, not all can at the moment for many different reasons.
“We have to be mindful and respect people’s opinion. They might have an underlying health issue; someone they are caring for may have one or it may just be the age demographic.”
Barrowcliffe says everyone is taking Covid-19 very seriously.
“The self-isolation, the farmers preparing their work sites, what the shearing contractors are doing to get their staff to work, and while at work and once they have left work as well.”
He says animal welfare issues also must have priority.
“Let’s use preventive animal welfare issues rather than reactive ones.”
The New Zealand Shearing Contractors Association has put out a set of guidelines in conjunction with Federated Farmers which has been provided to MPI and Beef+Lamb.
“As long as everyone follows those and respects the intent of those well, I can’t see a problem with the current information we have and how to manage or control Covid-19.”
He says with so many jobs and tasks in farming you have to apply the rules as is required to each situation.
Barrowcliffe adds that flexibility is needed, but so is social responsibility.
“Reinforcing that yarn that farmers need to be proactive and think about what essential jobs are coming up, put steps in place to make sure that their work sites are set up for us to enter and for us to make sure we have got suitable staff that can come on and do the job for them.”
Like many manufacturers around the world, European agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers are currently operating in a difficult market environment. But they are heading to the world’s largest agricultural machinery event in Hanover next month with a degree of cautious optimism.
Established in 2021, the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards champion the important contribution parts and service technicians make to the Australian and New Zealand agriculture, construction and forestry industries.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.
New Zealand is closer to eradicating bovine TB than ever before, but possums remain a threat, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
The ACT Party says media reports that global dairy giant Nestle has withdrawn from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance shows why New Zealand needs to rethink its approach to climate.
OPINION: Ageing lefty Chris Trotter reckons that the decision to delay recognition of Palestinian statehood is more than just a fit…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly recently met someone at a BBQ who works at a big consulting firm who spent…