Originally published as a column in The Western Star

Western Southland dairy farmers, like others around the province, are struggling to get enough staff.

Covid-19 and the subsequent changes to immigration have had a huge impact on local farmers being able to secure staff from overseas.

A Dairy NZ and Federated Farmers survey indicated that 49 percent of dairy farmer respondents were currently short-staffed and 46 percent had vacancies unfilled for more than three months.

New Zealand has had 9000 unused Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) rooms available since the beginning of this year, which could have been used to bring some of these much-needed workers into the country.

National believes the Government should have acted on this issue to support our biggest export sector and to support rural communities, like those in Southland.

We’re calling on the Government to open up 12.5 percent (500 beds per fortnight) of available MIQ rooms for skilled agricultural workers – particularly in the dairy farming sector, with a petition launched by my colleague Joseph Mooney Southland MP.

New Zealand’s primary industries have been working hard to attract Kiwis to work on farms, but unfortunately these initiatives don’t address the immediate problem.

I know that farmers need people on farms and on tractors right now, with the shortage causing mental health concerns for many people.

The petition asks that the House of Representatives urge the Government to provide for 500 spaces each fortnight in MIQ to bring in skilled migrant workers - before the commencement of calving season. It’s an essential strategy, I believe.

You can sign our petition today at:

https://www.national.org.nz/backing-our-farmers