Australian food producers hit by Covid staff shortages welcome isolation rule changes

Dairy and meat producers are pleading for more government help to cope with Covid disruptions in their industries as supermarket shelves empty and farm workers are hit by the virus.

One big abattoir in South Australia has requested its staff return to work, despite 140 of them testing positive, while other farmers are facing filling milk vats or rotting produce as goods are held back from the market due to the lack of staffing.

Grant Crothers, president of the Australian Dairy Products Federation, said as many as 40% of workers in some parts of the dairy food chain were absent because of Covid or because they were close contacts.

Both Crothers and Kingma welcomed changes announced on Monday by the Victorian government that will kick in from Wednesday 11.59pm, AEDT.

Workers in the food sector, including supermarkets, may be exempted from close contact isolation requirements provided they are asymptomatic, undertake daily rapid antigen tests for five days and return a negative result prior to returning to work.

The Victorian changes bring the state into line with Queensland and NSW. All states and territories, except WA, were expected to sign off on the changes on Monday. To work, though, they needed to be backed up by the supply of rapid tests to regional areas, Crothers said.

In South Australia, Teys Australia has ordered back workers at its Naracoorte meatworks even if they are Covid positive.

Guardian Australia has approached Teys for comment.

Meanwhile, the Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC) welcomed the response by federal and state governments to protect food supply chains. National cabinet on Monday endorsed interim guidance by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee on permissions and restrictions for workers in food and grocery supply.

Michael Coote, chief executive of the Ausveg industry group, said some growers were reporting staff shortages, particularly in the field and in packing sheds.

Growers were already under pressure to find pickers and packers because of visa restrictions.

He said it was critical that essential workers who work in agriculture were able to continue to work if they test negative for Covid and are fully vaccinated.