Child-proof fencing call not embraced

Southern dairy representatives do not want child-proof fencing around farm homes to be mandatory.

Federated Farmers Southland president Rod Pemberton said he would like all farms fenced to keep children safe, but did not want it to become mandatory – only optional.

His comments came after urgent calls made by Taranaki coroner Tim Scott to make child-proof fencing around all farm homes a legal requirement.

The Taranaki Daily News this week reported Mr Scott's comments from a coroner's court hearing about the death of three-year-old Summer Frank, who drowned in an effluent pond after she wandered away from her home last January.

Southland sharemilker Donald Kidd said even though he had young children he had not thought about fencing off his home to keep the children from harm's way.

It was up to parents to keep an eye on their children and to educate them about the dangers of living on a farm, he said.

He was not opposed to the idea of child-proof fencing, but said if that was the case then why not fence off every home in town because there were dangers there, too.

"Effluent ponds will definitely have to be fenced in the future," Mr Kidd said.

Mr Pemberton said if fencing off homes became law then it would drive up the cost to install fences and put a lot of owners off, just "like swimming pool fencing".

Federated Farmers Southland dairy chairman Vaughan Templeton said child-proof fencing should not be mandatory.

But he said fences could be something sharemilkers would look for when choosing a farm to work on, forcing owners to install them.

"If we come to a reasonable agreement then it comes to a peer pressure agreement and one of the things sharemilkers will look at, how safe can this be for my children – it won't happen over night," Mr Templeton said.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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Winnie   #2   03:11 am Jan 08 2010

Oh come on, Mr. Pemberton... The only reason not to make fencing mandatory is so that farmers can refuse to do it!

I can't believe that Mr. Pemberton has the temerity to say that a lot of owners would be put off by the cost of fencing, just "like swimming pool fencing". Swimming pool fencing has saved a lot of lives and any decent person should be grateful that it is law. In my opinion, it would be great if farm house fencing were like swimming pool fencing and became law.

It is complete rubbish that owners will be forced to install fences by potential employees who expect fences to be provided. Most sharemilkers I know are grateful to get work and have a lot of different things to worry about... These people aren't going to turn down a job because a house lacks a fence. We need a law that fences must be installed to protect sharemilkers from greedy, selfish farmers like Mr. Pemberton.

Vito   #1   06:07 pm Jan 07 2010

Ho hum, but just watch the proverbial hit the fan if one of there children or grandchildren get killed or badly injured. First excuse, "I only blinked!" Surely an wee touch of prevention is worth the effort.

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