Thursday, 03 February 2022 06:55

Editorial: Code red!

Written by  Staff Reporters
Farmers and those in the agri-sector need to have good plans in place for dealing with the ever increasing likelihood of a major community outbreak of Omicron. Farmers and those in the agri-sector need to have good plans in place for dealing with the ever increasing likelihood of a major community outbreak of Omicron.

OPINION: Benjamin Disraeli once said, "Plan for the worst and hope for the best".

While the 19th century former British Prime Minister could never have known about Covid, his words from the 1800s are as relevant today as they were back in the day.

Farmers and those in the agri-sector need to have good plans in place for dealing with the ever increasing likelihood of a major community outbreak of Omicron.

Already, a pan-primary sector group - which includes Beef+Lamb NZ (BLNZ), DairyNZ, MPI, the deer and pork industries and Federated Farmers - has been preparing advice for farmers to deal with this contingency.

All of these organisations have advice on their respective websites aimed at making it easy for those in the primary sector to plan for such an outbreak.

There are also copies of this information in vet clinics and rural supply stores.

"It's all about how to keep you and your farm safe from Covid and, if by chance, you or someone on your farm tests positive and has to go to hospital or into isolation," says BLNZ's Will Halliday.

Have a written and readily available plan in place to get through this period before something happens. It is also important that farmers have an arrangement with someone - or a number of people - who might be able to help, as well as having a check list and detailed plan of what to do on the farm to keep it running.

Meanwhile, the country's major meat processors say they are well down the road in planning how to mitigate the outbreak's impact.

The meat sector is already seriously short staffed; any outbreak of Omicron - and any resulting staff absenteeism - would have a major impact on its ability to process animals, fill all important export orders and on its revenue. The dairy processing and manufacturing industry would face similar challenges.

The meat and dairy processing sectors network of processing facilities does provide the option to move animals and milk between plants if Omicron moves around the country.

Previous Covid outbreaks and lockdowns have proven just how vital the agri-sector is to NZ's economy. Those in the sector need to take Disraeli's words to heart and - if they have not already - get planning.

More like this

Musical chairs

OPINION: DairyNZ's director elections has seen scientist Jacqueline Rowarth re-elected for another three-year term.

DairyNZ levy to increase?

Retiring chair Jim van der Poel has used his final AGM to announce the intention to increase the DairyNZ farmer levy for the first time in the industry-good body's 17-year history.

Tributes to retiring 'Jim the farmer'

Doing what is right, not what is easy, has been the hallmark of Jim van der Poel's leadership of, and advocacy for, the dairy industry, attendees at the DairyNZ annual general meeting heard last week.

Featured

New ag degrees at Massey

Changing skill demands and new job opportunities in the primary sector have prompted Massey University to create a new degree course and add a significant major into another in 2025.

The show is on!

It was bringing in a new Canterbury A&P Association (CAPA) show board, more in tune with the CAPA general committee, that has ensured that Christchurch will have a show this year, says CAPA general committee president Bryce Murray.

National

Food charity to hold online auction

Meat the Need, New Zealand’s dedicated charity delivering locally sourced protein meals to food-insecure communities, is launching an online National…

Machinery & Products

An ideal solution for larger farms

Designed specifically for large farms that want to drill with maximum flexibility, efficiency and power, the new Lemken Solitair ST…

Landpower increases its offering

Landpower and the Claas Harvest Centre network will launch the Claas Scorpion and Torion material handling solutions to the market…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Leaky waka

OPINION: Was the ASB Economic Weekly throwing shade on Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr when reporting on his speech in…

Know-it-alls

OPINION: A reader recently had a shot at the various armchair critics that she judged to be more than a…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter