Coronavirus: How the Wimmera's ag sector is stopping the spread

Victorian Farmers Federation Grains Group representative Ryan Milgate has contributed to the #masksonfarm campaign, where workers in the agriculture industry take photos of themselves wearing personal protective equipment while on the job.

Mr Milgate, of Minyip, said the United Dairyfarmers of Victoria began the campaign, which he has joined to spread the word to farmers on what they need to be doing to stop the spread of coronavirus, and the word on what is being done to everyone else.

"Out on the farm, I think some people can be casual or unsure of whether they should wear them. We're just trying to put a positive spin out there," he said.

"We might not be in town and you might not see us, but we are doing our bit. Coronavirus has popped up in regional areas, so I think it highlights that even though we think are sort of insulated from it, we do need to take care."

Since 11:59 pm on Sunday, August 2, all residents in rural and regional Victoria have been required to wear a face mask whilst outside of the home. The VFF recommends all farmers and farm workers ensure they carry a face mask at all times and wear it when necessary.

Dairy Australia advises farmers that even with a mask, they should keep 1.5 metres distance between themselves and others.

Mr Milgate works on a mixed cropping farm with his father Lloyd and uncle Earl, and said he used outside labour during shearing time.

"I guess if you've got a long-term employee... there is a shared responsibility," he said.

READ MORE:

"If you're employing two or three people, it's up to (the farmer) to ensure their employees are wearing the masks and doing the right thing once they are at work."

Mr Milgate said travelling in vehicles or shifting machinery together or "a quick toolbox meeting in the morning" could be situations in which farmworkers could come into contact with one another.

"I'm getting positive feedback from people saying it's good to see everyone doing the right thing and advocating for people to do the right thing," he said.

Sudath Pathirana, manager of the Wimmera Grain Company's Rupnayup packing site, said the facility had cut down on its staff and receivals in response to the pandemic.

"We spread them out evenly, because we don't want to get people here standing waiting at the weighbridge, so we try to spread receivals out a bit," he said.

"Everyone coming in and going out uses hand sanitizer or washes their hands with soap. Farmers also have to stay outside until we've finished our grain testing."

While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox twice weekly from the Wimmera Mail-Times. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the Wimmera, sign up below.