Latest updates are in green- including MPI guidance for workplaces in Horticulture to be consistent, compliant and safe, and a source for PPE.
Primary Industries are Essential Services
Horticulture, the production and harvest of fruit and vegetables, as well as necessary associated services, are considered as essential services for COVID-19 Alert Level 4. All orchards, farms, packhouses, cool stores, export entities can be considered essential services. This also includes ancillary services such as laboratories, transport, and inspection services.
Horticultural production continues, although marketers are definitely seeing a change in businesses with smaller fresh produce retailers not being open. This is a position which we want to maintain by working within the rules and the spirit of the Covid-19 lockdown.
Here we have collated some top level information, but urge everyone to refer to the official credible source for detail. Information and guidance changes regularly reflecting the speed at which NZ took action and the magnitude of the response.
To continue to operate as an essential business, you must register with MPI and follow strict measures to mitigate the risk of spreading the COVID-19 coronavirus throughout your community.
Registration of primary industry essential services
To operate as an essential service, MPI needs to be assured that you have systems in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19. In particular maintaining spacing between workers is critical. Without these assurances, businesses will not be able to operate.
Criteria for registration
- Do you have 5 or fewer people (including the owner) working at each business site?
- Can you achieve social distancing measures between staff in your workplace, including travelling to and from work?
- If you answer YES to both of those questions, then you do not need to be registered.
- If you answered NO to either of these questions, you should be registered.
How to register
Email MPI at info@mpi.govt.nz with a subject that clearly indicates that the message is about registration as an essential business.
MPI link for more information – https://www.mpi.govt.nz/covid-19-essential-primary-sector-service-registration/
HortNZ link for registration guidelines – Click here ;
If you are not an essential service or support service, or if we have advised you not to operate, your business should already be closed.
Operating as an Essential Business
The main principles for operating as an essential service during the Alert Level 4 lockdown period are to:
- minimise, or eliminate if possible, physical interactions amongst staff
- ensure appropriate health, hygiene and safety measures are in place
- restrict activity to only what is essential during the Alert Level 4 period
MPI is working with industry to develop guidelines for operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. These guidelines are expected to be available in the week starting 6 April.
MPI is also visiting packhouses to ensure that the correct messages are being received, and that the facility is operating in accordance with the regulations
Travelling to and from an essential place of work
NZ Police recommend that workers in essential services should carry with them their driver’s licence and a letter that declares who they work for, where they are travelling, as well as employer information.
Hort NZ have a template for a declaration here : Template
Workplace Resources
Identifying COVID-19 Symptoms
The Ministry of Health has an excellent COVID-19 discussion about Symptoms, prevention, treatment, how it spreads and more. Click on this link
Mental Health
In times of uncertainty, it is important to stay connected and talk about how things are going, and how you and the people around you are feeling.
The Mental Health Foundation has some excellent discussion specifically about mental health during the Covid-19 response – this link, https://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/get-help/covid-19/ ,will take you there.
For support with grief, anxiety, distress or mental wellbeing, you can call free or text 1737 – free, anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – to talk with a trained counsellor.
If you are worried about your or someone else’s mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call the Police immediately on 111.
Sources of Information and Support
Advice for employers – Government Support
The Government have put together financial support packages and other supporting measures to help businesses through these uncertain times.
HortNZ have collated the following information on each of the support options, and will update these documents as information becomes available.
Wage Subsidies
The wage subsidy is to help keep businesses going if they facing revenue reductions because of COVID-19. If you’re an employer, contractor, sole trader or are self-employed you may qualify. The details are available at https://workandincome.govt.nz/products/a-z-benefits/covid-19-support.html
Leave Payments
The Government has announced that a new COVID-19 leave payment scheme that will be available to essential businesses for essential workers from 6 April 2020.
The new payment is intended to support essential workers who have to stay at home to comply with public health guidance, and whose employers are unable to keep paying them.
Essential employers who can financially support their workers with leave requirements or any special paid leave entitlements – without the use of the subsidy – should continue to do so.
More information about the Essential Workers COVID-19 Leave Payment Scheme will be available at 12pm on 6 April.
Business cashflow and tax
Accounting support measures have been created to help with businesses cashflow and taxation. These measures include depreciation on commercial and industrial buildings; deductions for low value assets; increase in the threshold for small businesses having to pay provisional tax; and waiving interest and penalties on late tax payments for businesses affected by COVID-19.
The IRD site has information on these measures – a direct link to the correct page is https://www.ird.govt.nz/covid-19/tax-relief
Employees, voluntarily self-isolation and attending work
HortNZ has compiled government advice to clarify the following themes of questions:
- employees in an essential horticultural business who want to voluntarily self-isolate.
- employers who are worried about whether an employee who wants to work, should be coming to work or not.
An overall page at HortNZ is here, https://www.hortnz.co.nz/news-events-and-media/media-releases/covid-19-update-for-horticulture/ but the link for further detail is not currently working. This link wil be updated as soon as possible.
NZGAP and GLOBALG.A.P.
The following information is from NZGAP, about certification during COVID-19 lockdown
- Registration and renewal processes as normal, but growers urged to complete forms and payments online during lockdown (post limited, and cheques cannot be processed)
- Food Safety audits are considered ‘essential service’
- NZGAP and GLOBALG.A.P. audits from AsureQuality and SGS are continuing as scheduled with social distancing requirements in place
- Off-site and remote audit capabilities being fast-tracked for development and implementation
- A.P. certification may be extended beyond the 12 months, for a maximum period of 6 months.
- NZGAP certification may be extended by up to 5 months
Kia Kaha, Stay safe
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