S1 E7: The Farmer Wants a Hand

Agriculture isn't the first industry that comes to mind as having been dealt a blow from the COVID-19 crisis. After all, it has been deemed essential from the start; with farmers, workers, and contractors able to continue their work, for the most part, unimpeded.

But as we’ve discovered, no one has escaped from this pandemic. As soon as the international borders shut we noticed the crippling absence of workers from overseas who we relied on to fill the gaps that our local workforce could not.

Both skilled and unskilled workers went home, or couldn’t enter the country, and it revealed a large hole in the industry that farmers and contractors have desperately been trying to fill ever since.

We speak to to sheep shearers, fruit farmers, and industry experts to unpack the issue of staff shortages in the agriculture industry during Covid.

This is the last episode of Resolve for 2021 - we'll be back in mid January 2022 with new stories. Have a suggested topic we should cover? Reach out at [email protected]

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