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Victoria to introduce Labour Hire Licensing Scheme to protect workers
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The Victorian government this week announced it will be introducing the state’s first ever Labour Hire Licensing Scheme, which will have ramifications for the horticulture industry and any farmers who rely on backpacker or seasonal Pacific labour.
The scheme – designed to protect workers and crack down on dodgy labour hire operators – will come into force on the 29th of April, with labour hire contractors given six months to sign up or else face stiff penalties. It is in response to a recent state-wide inquiry that found significant abuse and exploitation of workers across Victoria.
To implement the scheme, the government has established the Labour Hire Authority , which issue licences to labour hire operators, test for compliance, enforce the laws and educate operators and employers. Host employers that use unlicenced providers will face fines of up to $500,000.
“The Labour Hire Authority is looking forward to making sure that the rights of labour hire workers are protected, and to driving improved accountability and transparency across the labour hire industry,” says Labour Hire Authority Commissioner Steve Dargavel. “This is a strong scheme that will bring about much-needed regulatory reform in an industry where more protection is needed.”
The Victorian Farmers Federation has previously opposed the scheme, unsuccessfully lobbying to have the legislation defeated in the Victorian Upper House. The VFF has argued that the legislation will only complicate the existing agricultural labour market and impose significant costs on growers without providing necessary protections for vulnerable workers.
For more information on the scheme, visit the Labour Hire Authority website by clicking here.
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Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
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