increase font size
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.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
DairyNZ has pulled together tactics that will help farmers improve on-farm efficiency and have positive benefits for the environment. These tactics are based on research, data, and lessons from leading farmers.
The design and construction of an effective dairy effluent system is a complex process.
After serving three as a DairyNZ director, Waikato farmer Chris Lewis is ready for another term.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.
