Act Minister Brooke van Velden claims some farmers fear their kids collecting eggs from chickens is illegal, as she defends launching consultation on regulations governing children working on farms.

Federated Farmers’ health and safety spokesman David Birkett says he hasn’t heard those concerns from the rural sector, while Opposition MPs condemn the minister’s actions as an “overreach”.

Van Velden, the Workplace Relations Minister, today announced the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) would conduct consultation until September on a possible change to regulations that governed health and safety requirements for farm workers aged under 15.

The Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016 stated no workers under that age could be involved in the “manufacture or preparation of goods for trade or sale” or any other work likely to compromise health and safety.

The maximum punishment for breaching the regulation was a $50,000 fine.

“One proposed change is to amend the General Risk Regulations to make it clear that young people can safely take part in light chores on family farms,” van Velden said.

“We’ll be consulting with farmers and the agriculture sector on the thresholds for light chores children can do on farms, like collecting eggs, feeding small animals and watering plants, while ensuring safety is not compromised.”

Egg collection has been linked to vague employment legislation. Photo / 123rf.com

Van Velden today explained MBIE had suggested egg collection as an example of a light chore a child could do on a farm before arguing the need to address the current regulations.

“What we have at the moment though, is essentially a prohibition on kids being able to work on farms, and I’ve been talking to people in the rural community who say that doesn’t reflect the reality of rural life.

“Kids every day now might pick up eggs, they might be docking tails, they might even be going into the milking sheds.

“We should give confidence to mums who are raising their kids on farms and also to the dads who are out there doing a lot of milking and stuff, that you can actually raise your kids, give them really good skills, give them a good trade, and you’re not going to be breaching the law.”

Van Velden said she was unaware of any safety concerns associated with children collecting eggs but claimed some in rural communities thought it was illegal under the current rules.

Birkett said while clarification would be helpful, it wasn’t a “big issue”.

“This is really around good parenting, where do you draw the line between good regulation and good parenting.”

He doubted whether Federated Farmers would have much to say on the matter, noting he was more focused on van Velden’s consultation on approved codes of practice for operating farm vehicles and on-farm health and safety.

Labour workplace relations spokeswoman Jan Tinetti doesn't think the consultation is needed. Photo / Andrew Warner

Labour’s workplace relations spokeswoman Jan Tinetti described van Velden’s actions as an overreach and “regulation for the sake of regulation“.

“We should be really focusing on the big risks in the agriculture sector ... [we] shouldn’t really be looking at a problem that isn’t existing.”

Labour MP Kieran McAnulty couldn’t see any issue with children collecting eggs, as long as they complied with longstanding wisdom associated with the activity.

“I think it’s pretty common knowledge if an egg is covered in poo, you don’t lick it, wash your hands afterwards.”

Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.