Farmers urged to ‘take a moment’ as peak injury season approaches
As the sector heads into the traditional peak period for injuries and fatalities, farmers are being urged to "take a moment".
WorkSafe has launched a myth-busting series taking aim at the top 10 tall tales doing the rounds about improving health and safety on New Zealand farms.
"There are a lot of misconceptions in the farming community about health and safety, and the role of WorkSafe," says Al McCone, agriculture programme manager at WorkSafe.
"We're aiming to cut through the confusion so farmers can get the facts.
"We've been talking to farmers and listening to their feedback about what they're hearing about health and safety, such as banning quadbikes, banishing kids from the farm and mountains of new paperwork. The good news is - none of that is true."
He says WorkSafe have sorted fact from fiction for the myth-busting series, so farmers can be more clear about what they need to do to keep themselves, their families and workers, healthy and safe.
McCone says many farmers are surprised to hear the claims they've heard are in fact untrue.
"The launch of our farming health and safety campaign, Safer Farms, has sparked some vigorous debate but busting these myths will go a long way to putting some of the rumours to rest so farmers can concentrate on making farms safe and healthy places to work and live."
www.saferfarms.org.nz
The Government is set to announce two new acts to replace the contentious Resource Management Act (RMA) with the Prime Minister hinting that consents required by farmers could reduce by 46%.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change would be “a really dumb move”.
The University of Waikato has broken ground on its new medical school building.
Undoubtedly the doyen of rural culture, always with a wry smile, our favourite ginger ninja, Te Radar, in conjunction with his wife Ruth Spencer, has recently released an enchanting, yet educational read centred around rural New Zealand in one hundred objects.
Farmers are being urged to keep on top of measures to control Cysticerus ovis - or sheep measles - following a spike in infection rates.
The avocado industry is facing an extremely challenging season with all parts of the supply chain, especially growers, being warned to prepare for any eventuality.

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