Federated Farmers Is Happy With New Immigration Settings Announced Earlier This Week

Federated Farmers is happy with new immigration settings announced earlier this week, but Dairy Chair Richard McIntyre says while it’s great to have a pathway to residency for herd management roles, there should also be pathways for dairy assistants who are happy to continue at that level. He says these employees are of real value to the dairy sector, and many are lost to highly competitive international markets like Canada and Australia. Richard McIntyre says there is a real shortage of farm staff in NZ and we need to be making it as easy as possible for those who have chosen to call Aotearoa home to continue their farming careers here. He is also concerned that the the Accredited Employer Work Visa being linked to the median wage of $29.66 which he says farmers simply can’t afford to pay for entry level staff.