By Cherrie Chubb, Dairy Chair, Federated Farmers Golden Bay OPINION: It is no understatement to say that we live in challenging times. While we can be thankful to have avoided the worst of the impacts from the Delta lockdowns, we have not been spared from the weather. Floods, storms and the persistent number of wet […]
Health and Wellness
Feds to work with Taumata Arowai as water supply exemption refused
With the Water Services Bill passing its third reading on September 28 without an exemption for small suppliers, Federated Farmers is now focusing on the Minister’s undertakings around making the processes simple, cost-effective and practical. “Federated Farmers is deeply disappointed that the strong case for a carve-out from the new regulations for those supplying water […]
Building a case for self-isolation on farm
By Simon Edwards What happens if a sole-charge farmer or farm/herd manager tests positive for COVID-19? That question became very real with the recent surge of the disease in Auckland and the subsequent spread of cases to the Waikato. An industry working group that includes Federated Farmers representation has been putting together a case for […]
Feds asks farmers to get vaccinated
Federated Farmers is calling on farmers and growers to remember the critical link between vaccination rates and maintaining growth in the New Zealand economy. Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard says Feds has taken a little bit of stick from a handful of members about the organsiation’s promotion of the need for as many people as possible to get vaccinated. “We got told to ‘stay in our lane’ and to stop […]
Sunsmart farming, is smart farming
Federated Farmers is throwing its support behind the Melanoma New Zealand campaign to save farmers’ lives from skin cancer. The annual campaign for this year ‘Get Spotted’ has just wrapped up, but the Melanoma New Zealand quest to see zero lives lost in New Zealand from melanoma goes on. Federated Farmers vice president and Wairarapa […]
New water regime is overkill for small rural suppliers
By Rhea Dasent, Federated Farmers Regional Policy Advisor I’m disappointed that the Water Services Bill has passed its third reading in parliament with no exemption for small rural suppliers, despite Federated Farmers’ best efforts. At first it appeared to be an oversight that a farm water supply like my family’s was captured by a Bill […]
Sunsmart farming, is smart farming
Federated Farmers wants to remind farmers and growers this is a good time to be thinking about getting “sunsmart” for summer. More than 4000 people are diagnosed with melanoma every year, accounting for 80% of skin cancer deaths in New Zealand. It has been estimated up to 25% of farmers and growers have had a […]
Feds gives thumbs up for cross-border, jab efforts
Federated Farmers is giving a shout out to government agencies handling the movement of essential workers across alert level boundaries, and to those DHBs and medical centres reaching out to rural people over COVID vaccinations. “With Auckland now at Alert level 3 and access to takeaways resumed, there are still essential workers having to cross […]
Back in Covid Lockdown
Compared to the rest of the world, down here we have had a very fortunate escape from the ravages of Covid19, largely because we are bobbing away in the ocean, 4,000km from anyone else. The Delta variant of Covid19 has arrived, which many would say was inevitable, but unfortunately, as of Sept 1st, our vaccination […]
Bird next fire-starters are a big cost
Just like in the Alfred Hitchcock movie, birds are wreaking havoc when it comes to rural insurance. They’ve caused $4 million in claims over the last three years says FMG. “The most common claim is tractor fires caused by birds nesting in tractor engines during springtime. The engine sparks up and before you know it […]