Harvest help

Across the Central NSW region, including Lachlan Shire, primary producers have voiced their concerns about labour shortages this harvest due to the impact of COVID-19.

CozWine Harvest Trail Services is a federally funded program provider for Central Western NSW. It aims to attract and engage Australian job seekers for the purpose of harvest work. The program covers casual employment needs in all sectors of the agriculture industry and is not limited to fruit growers, viticulture or horticulture.

“CozWine has been engaging with producers across the region in an attempt to understand the size and scale of requirement for harvest workers,” Lachlan Shire Mayor John Medcalf OAM said.

National Manager Cozwine, El Milne, said that applications for the upcoming harvest are as low as 30 per cent of last year’s applicant numbers.

“We also understand that we need to provide a strong incentives to entice unemployed Australians to undertake harvest work. We are looking at programs that exist currently for JobSeekers to attempt to provide financial benefit without limiting their ability to return to JobSeeker payments when harvest is concluded,” he said.

Mayors across our region are calling on primary producers to provide the following information to CozWine:

•              The type of crop they produce;

•              The number of harvest workers required;

•              The approximate dates they require them;

•              How long they need them for; and

•              Any other specific skills they need.

 ‘’The more information that can be obtained, the better equipped we will be to plan and ensure producers in the region get the labour they require’’ Said Mayor Medcalf.

Please contact the Manager of Harvest Trail Services at CozWine Mr Robert Millington on 02 7201 8888 or 0447 156 812.

For further information please visit their website: www.cozwine.com.au