increase font size
Chris Lewis.
Being classed an essential business is a privilege – do not abuse that privilege, says Chris Lewis, Federated Farmers national dairy spokesman.
“It is always a massive responsibility being an employer and a privilege to have people working for you but during this time there is extra responsibility,” he told Dairy News.
“This is especially around the two-metre isolation rule.”
DairyNZ and Federated Farmers are meeting each morning including their immigration and employment teams to discuss the challenges and what can be done to support farmers.
There is a lot of work getting underway to help farmers around policies, guidelines and Q&As and those sorts of things. The Federated Farmers website is being constantly updated.
The main challenge for a dairy farmer at this time is around keeping people safe.
“For myself I employ a team of seven. And they have family so I have to keep them all safe. They all have self-isolation and I have to make them all safe,” Lewis told Dairy News.
“We are enforcing that around milking and have a bit different ways of doing things.
“Everyone has got to ride their own motorbike, if they use a commonly used tractor or tool they must wear gloves. I have hand wash sanitiser down at the cow shed, brushes to keep you clean and am encouraging guys every day to have clean clothes on, clean overalls.
“When they see contractors come on farm – like this morning I had to have an electrician - smile and wave at them or have the conversation from afar.
“I have sent a photograph of the broken equipment or a video of the issue so before they come out they know exactly what the issue is so they can bring the right part and be efficient.
“Some of those things I have practiced for a long time before Covid-19.
“There are lots of things we can do and at the moment, all of us, we are learning.”
He encourages farmers to share their learning with the likes of Federated Farmers and DairyNZ.
“Tag us into social media posts because there will be a lot smarter farmers out there than just us industry people. We want to hear all our farmers’ great ideas, their great insights. So please email me, message me your videos, tag me in. We all need to be working as a massive community looking after each other.
“Not just on policies, on social communication, Facetime, messaging – I’d love to hear from you.”
Initial labour shortages or workers not turning up could happen.
“But in my local community there are a lot of kids that have come home from overseas, from university or different places. They all have no money. So there will be a lot of people putting their hand up for jobs in the next few months.”
Those returning from overseas will need to be in quarantine-type isolation for two weeks.
Academic Dr Mike Joy and his employer, Victoria University of Wellington have apologised for his comments suggesting that dairy industry CEOs should be hanged for contributing towards nitrate poisoning of waterways.
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.
A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.
After serving three as a DairyNZ director, Waikato farmer Chris Lewis is ready for another term.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says his officials plan to meet their US counterparts every month from now on to better understand how the 15% tariff issue there will play out, and try and get some certainty there for our exporters about the future.
A landmark New Zealand trial has confirmed what many farmers have long suspected - that strategic spring nitrogen use not only boosts pasture growth but delivers measurable gains in lamb growth and ewe condition.
It was recently announced that former MP and Southland farmer Eric Roy has stepped down of New Zealand Pork after seven years. Leo Argent talks with Eric about his time at the organisation and what the future may hold.
It's critical that the horticulture sector works together as part of a goal to double the sector’s exports by 2035.
RaboResearch, the research arm of specialist agriculture industry banker Rabobank, sees positives for the Alliance Group in its proposed majority-stake sale to Ireland's Dawn Meats.
The ACT Party's call for a better deal on the Paris Agreement on climate change is being backed by farmer organisations.
OPINION: Westland Milk may have won the contract to supply butter to Costco NZ but Open Country Dairy is having…
OPINION: The Gene Technology Bill has divided the farming community with strong arguments on both the pros and cons of…
