Mel Ewers Wins NZAPI Outstanding Contribution Award
For 50 years, Tasman's Mel Ewers has been helping the apple sector navigate through compliance issues and training.
The agribusiness advisors say its Empowering Farmer Compliance Workshops will help farmers identify what they can do themselves, where they might need additional support and where to go for help.
Thanks to funding from the Ministry for Primary Industry’s (MPI) Accelerator Fund, Perrin Ag is offering the workshops at a subsidised cost of just $150+gst per farm business.
“Many farmers are feeling overwhelmed with the increasing compliance requirements for their business,” says Perrin Ag consultant Rachel Durie.
“With margins squeezed, budgets are tight, so the more farmers can do themselves, the less costly it is for them.
“These workshops are designed to help farmers who are unsure about where to start but want to undertake some of the requirements themselves and put a plan in place to make it happen.
“Knowing where their gaps are and what support they need will also help farmers extract better value from any consultants they go to for help.”
These workshops are designed to give farmers the tools they need to tackle a range of issues: environmental and health & safety compliance to service tenancies, animal welfare and biosecurity.
The sessions will be delivered to small groups of no more than 16 farm businesses. Content will be tailored to farm type and location to take local regional council rules into consideration.
Designed and led by Perrin Ag, the first workshops will be held in Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Northland and Manawatu over the coming months.
Content has been developed in partnership with the regional councils and in collaboration with key industry groups and experts in certain areas of compliance.
The Perrin Ag team will tailor each workshop to the needs of the farmers participating. They will prioritise areas of compliance where there is the most interest, address concerns and answer questions along the way.
“The workshops and take-home resources provided will help farmers prioritise their business’ immediate compliance needs and identify where they need to invest first,” says Durie.
“It’s about empowering farmers to take control and address issues themselves or help them understand where they can go for help rather than spending endless hours researching online.
“We want them to feel confident rather than overwhelmed and shift compliance from being a pain point and a barrier to being an integral part of a successful farm business.
“The workshops are a stress-free, no hassle solution that is very cost effective. We’re grateful to have backing from MPI to do this work and give farmers more clarity and direction for the work that needs to be done.
“Our first workshops will also help us refine our model as we look to scale the initiative and reach even more farmers across the country.”
The first workshop is scheduled for September 2023, and spaces are limited.
Find out more and register your interest by visiting the Perrin Ag website.
