Level four reduced the time farmers had to move because it put on hold much of the shifting and preparation done in the lead-up to the move.
Federated Farmers sharemilkers spokesman Richard McIntyre said the resulting uncertainty caused some issues.
Moving companies were also booked ahead months in advance and the lockdown did lead to stress, he said.
McIntyre’s sharemilking neighbours had bought a farm and were in the process of moving when the lockdown occurred.
It forced them to wait out those weeks.
“It means that a lot of stuff that would have happened over the last month and the month before the move, people have been a bit stalled in their moving ability.”
The uncertainty around the requirements of who can help these farmers move was also an issue, he said.
“Often you plan for all of your friends and family to help you and it was unknown how that was going to go.”
While data around the numbers of farmers moving to new jobs will not be available till later in the year there seem to be plenty of people moving around, he said.
“It’s a good enough milk price and cow prices are cheap enough. It’s not a bad time to upgrade sharemilking positions.”
Anecdotally, he had heard that while there are still plenty of contract milking jobs available and there has been a quiet shift back to variable order jobs as sharemilkers were buoyed by recent good milk prices when they signed contracts late last year.
“We’ve seen a change where they are prepared to take on a little more price risk.”
He hopes those farmers signed contracts where they will be paid a reasonable income if the forecast is lower than expected.
“So often these contracts get signed on last year’s milk price or a heavily optimistic milk price and then it drops back and there’s a lot of pain and suffering and it’s completely avoidable.”
DairyNZ believes 5000 dairy farm households could be moving this season.
Covid-19 meant those farmers faced extra challenges around planning, hygiene procedures and contingency steps to protect health and safety, DairyNZ people team leader Jane Muir said.
New industry guidelines have also been created to help farmers move.
They encourage farmers to share their moving day plans with everyone involved to ensure the move goes as smoothly as possible.
“Based on the Government information to date gatherings will be limited to 10 people on moving day so the numbers of friends and family who can assist will be limited and physical distancing should still be managed appropriately,” Muir said.
Records must be kept of everyone helping to support contact tracing if someone gets sick.
Everyone involved should carry a letter from the farmer authorising their involvement. Surfaces frequently touched should be regularly cleaned with disinfectant during the move and the house and dairy shed need to be thoroughly cleaned.
The guidelines also include advice on preparing and transporting stock. For both covid-19 and biosecurity reasons it is recommended cows are not milked during their journey so drying off cows before transport is encouraged.
