Southern farming advocates recognised
Southern farmers were among those recognised at the Federated Farmers annual meeting last month.
Federated Farmers' national awards celebrate farmers who had gone above and beyond for farmers, rural communities, and the wider agricultural sector.
Southland Federated Farmers president Jason Herrick was presented the advocate of the year award.
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford said Mr Herrick had been a standout communicator on behalf of farmers.
"When it comes to emerging farming leaders, Jason Herrick is without a doubt one to watch. He's got a huge contribution to make and a big future ahead of him,
"Whether it's calling out Fish & Game's antics or pushing back on unworkable, costly new farming rules, Jason's exemplified what Federated Farmers is all about — fighting for farmers.
"I've been so impressed with not just his workload and ability to prosecute issues in the media, but also with his personal growth and development as a leader in his community.
Sonia Dillon ... Arable advocate of the year.
"He's been tenacious and articulate, and he's shown a thick skin. You can't stick your neck out for farmers without copping some heat back, but he's taken it all in his stride."
The arable advocate of the year award went to Southland Federated Farmers arable chairwoman Sonia Dillon, who operates a mixed cropping and seed production business.
Mrs Dillon had been extremely strong on local advocacy, Mr Langford said.
"There are some issues in Southland that are quite specific for that area and she's great at getting them airtime and discussion.
"That's particularly true when it comes to transportation and logistics, with Southland being at the bottom of the country.
"She's pointed out that if it costs $60 to get something from Christchurch to Southland, how come grain that comes from Canterbury can be cheaper than it's priced in Southland? It's a fair point. The price should be what it costs to buy, plus freight — that's how it should work."
Mrs Dillon was also a great asset for the Federated Farmers Arable Council, Mr Langford said.
"She's always happy to bring challenging issues to the forefront, so the council can look for solutions." — APL
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Government's farm chores proposal misunderstood, says Federated Farmers
'I expect higher-risk activities, such as being near heavy machinery like a hay baler, will remain off-limits. 'As children grow older, they'll be able to undertake more complex tasks with supervision and training, such as driving a tractor.' Federated Farmers New Zealand president Wayne Langford said farmers had been calling for clarity on the rules. 'Taking a closer look at these rules is really important, so it's disappointing a lot of people have gotten the wrong end of the stick,' Langford said. 'The Government aren't trying to add layers of bureaucracy or wrap farm kids up in cotton wool. 'They're actually trying to do the exact opposite of what's been portrayed in the media so far. 'This is all about making sure health and safety rules are practical, common sense, and easy to understand - and Federated Farmers absolutely welcome that conversation.' He said the examples given by van Velden were unfortunate and related to situations where children could be harmed, such as around large stock, heavy machinery and quad bikes. 'What she was saying was that, 'Hey, let's look at the roles that kids can play on-farm and some of those that maybe should be avoided'. 'For example, on my farm, I keep my young children out of the milking shed. 'It's a dangerous place for the kids to be. 'It's a place where they could be kicked or harmed.' In a statement, van Velden said the Government was proposing making it clear that children could safely take part in 'light chores' on family farms - but she expected higher-risk activities involving heavy machinery would remain off-limits. Farmers had told her they wanted the law to recognise that the farm was both their workplace and home, she said. Langford said the current health and safety rules for farmers had gone 'way too far' and were unnecessarily confusing for smaller family-owned farming operations. 'We're talking about small mum and dad type businesses which might only employ one or two staff members. 'They're certainly not big corporates with a health and safety manager on staff. 'They're hands-on farmers who actually spend their days farming rather than sitting in an office. 'That's why it's so important these rules are practical and easy to understand.' He said confusion about health and safety obligations meant some farmers no longer allowed children on the farm like they would have in the past, for fear of falling foul of the law. 'There's something very special about growing up on a farm and having that classic rural childhood many farmers enjoyed themselves,' Langford said. He said his own son was very good at reading stock because he'd grown up around them and spent so much time by his father's side on the farm. 'That's the childhood I had, and my own kids have had something similar, but I think we're at risk of losing that kind of upbringing if we don't get these rules right.' Langford said preserving that traditional rural Kiwi upbringing, while still keeping kids safe, was what was trying to be achieved. Labour's workplace relations and safety spokesperson Jan Tinetti said the Government was focusing on a non-existent problem, and her colleague Kieran McAnulty questioned the rationale and said he 'wouldn't have thought' it was an issue. 'It's pretty common knowledge if an egg is covered in poo, you don't lick it,' McAnulty said. 'Wash your hands afterwards. What's the problem?' But Langford said collecting eggs and watering plants was 'not really what we're talking about here'. 'The fact those are the talking points the minister was provided with by bureaucrats tells you everything you need to know about why we need to get Wellington out of farming,' Langford said. 'In reality, we're talking about things like feeding calves, shifting stock, or helping mum and dad hose down the shed after milking - perfectly safe everyday farming activities.' He said Federated Farmers looked forward to engaging in the consultation process. - RNZ
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Rule changes about chores children can do on farms misunderstood, Federated Farmers says
Wayne and Tyler Langford. Photo: Frank Film / supplied People have misunderstood the government's announcement regarding the threshold for light chores that children can do on farms, Federated Farmers says. On Tuesday Labour ridiculed the government's consultation with the agricultural sector after Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden's announcement included the examples collecting eggs and watering plants. In the announcement, van Velden said one proposed change was to amend the General Risk Regulations to make it clear that young people could safely take part in light chores on family farms . "We'll be consulting with farmers and the agriculture sector on the thresholds for light chores children can do on farms, like collecting eggs, feeding small animals and watering plants, while ensuring safety is not compromised. "I expect higher-risk activities such as being near heavy machinery like a hay baler will remain off-limits. As children grow older, they'll be able to undertake more complex tasks with supervision and training, such as driving a tractor." Federated Farmers New Zealand president Wayne Langford said farmers had been calling for clarity on the rules. "Taking a closer look at these rules is really important, so it's disappointing a lot of people have gotten the wrong end of the stick," Langford said. "The government aren't trying to add layers of bureaucracy or wrap farm kids up in cotton wool. They're actually trying to do the exact opposite of what's been portrayed in the media so far. "This is all about making sure health and safety rules are practical, common sense, and easy to understand - and Federated Farmers absolutely welcome that conversation." He said the examples given by van Velden were unfortunate and concerns related to situations where children could be harmed, such as around large stock, heavy machinery and quad bikes. "What she was saying was that, 'Hey, let's look at the roles that kids can play on farm and some of those that maybe should be avoided'. "For example, on my farm I keep my young children out of the milking shed. It's a dangerous place for the kids to be. It's a place where they could be kicked or harmed." In a statement, van Velden said the government was proposing making it clear that children could safely take part in "light chores" on family farms - but she expected higher-risk activities involving heavy machinery would remain off-limits. Farmers had told her they wanted the law to recognise that the farm was both their workplace and home, she said. Langford said the current health and safety rules for farmers had gone "way too far" and were unnecessarily confusing for smaller family-owned farming operations. "We're talking about small mum and dad type businesses which might only employ one or two staff members. "They're certainly not big corporates with a health and safety manager on staff. "They're hands-on farmers who actually spend their days farming rather than sitting in an office. That's why it's so important these rules are practical and easy to understand." He said confusion about health and safety obligations meant some farmers no longer allowed children on the farm like they would have in the past, for fear of falling foul of the law. "There's something very special about growing up on a farm and having that classic rural childhood many farmers enjoyed themselves," Langford said. He said his own son was very good at reading stock because he'd grown up around them and spent so much time by his father's side on the farm. "That's the childhood I had, and my own kids have had something similar, but I think we're at risk of losing that kind of upbringing if we don't get these rules right." Langford said preserving that traditional rural Kiwi upbringing, while still keeping kids safe, was what was trying to be achieved. Labour's workplace relations and safety spokesperson Jan Tinetti said the government was focusing on a non-existent problem and her colleague Kieran McAnulty questioned the rationale and said he "wouldn't have thought" it was an issue. "It's pretty common knowledge if an egg is covered in poo, you don't lick it. Wash your hands afterwards, what's the problem?" McAnulty said. But Langford said collecting eggs and watering plants was "not really what we're talking about here". "The fact those are the talking points the minister was provided with by bureaucrats tells you everything you need to know about why we need to get Wellington out of farming," Langford said. "In reality, we're talking about things like feeding calves, shifting stock, or helping mum and dad hose down the shed after milking - perfectly safe everyday farming activities." He said Federated Farmers looked forward to engaging in the consultation process. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Scoop
Federated Farmers Back Government Health & Safety Review
Federated Farmers is backing moves to review health and safety rules for farmers, saying it's unfortunate some seem to have completely misunderstood the Minister's announcement. "Taking a closer look at these rules is really important, so it's disappointing a lot of people have gotten the wrong end of the stick," Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says. "The Government aren't trying to add layers of bureaucracy or wrap farm kids up in cotton wool. They're actually trying to do the exact opposite of what's been portrayed in the media so far. "This is all about making sure health and safety rules are practical, common sense, and easy to understand - and Federated Farmers absolutely welcome that conversation." Langford says the current health and safety rules for farmers have gone way too far and are unnecessarily confusing for smaller family-owned farming operations. "We're talking about small mum and dad type businesses which might only employ one or two staff members. They're certainly not big corporates with a health and safety manager on staff. "They're hands-on farmers who actually spend their days farming rather than sitting in an office. That's why it's so important these rules are practical and easy to understand." He says confusion about health and safety obligations has meant some farmers no longer allow children on the farm like they would have in the past, for fear of falling foul of the law. "There's something very special about growing up on a farm and having that classic rural childhood many farmers enjoyed themselves," Langford says. "That's the childhood I had, and my own kids have had something similar, but I think we're at risk of losing that kind of upbringing if we don't get these rules right." Langford says preserving that traditional rural Kiwi upbringing, while still keeping kids safe, is exactly what Minister Brooke van Velden is trying to achieve. "I think it's unfortunate the Minister's examples were things like collecting eggs and watering plants - because that's not really what we're talking about here. "The fact those are the talking points the Minister was provided with by bureaucrats tells you everything you need to know about why we need to get Wellington out of farming. "In reality, we're talking about things like feeding calves, shifting stock, or helping mum and dad hose down the shed after milking - perfectly safe everyday farming activities." Federated Farmers 100% backs what the Minister has announced and look forward to engaging in the consultation process.
