BY FELICITY COGGAN AND COLIN PARKER
TAINGAEHE, Northland, New Zealand - After finishing evening milking July 30, sharemilker Russell McDonald and his supporters - local dairy farmers and farm workers - celebrated a victory in a dispute with McDonald's previous employer, farm owner Barry Barfoote. Earlier that day, they had ended a 10-day picket at Barfoote's farm gate after reaching a deal that the farm owner would release McDonald's herd of 170 cows. McDonald is still required to pay $120,000 in court costs to Barfoote, who sacked him earlier this year by ending his sharemilking contract.

Like many sharemilkers, McDonald had a "50:50" contract. He owned the cows and some machinery such as tractors, looked after the herd, and provided the labor to milk them. While Barfoote owns the land and buildings, income from the sale of the milk was split on a 50:50 basis between the two. Sharemilkers comprise about one-third of all dairy farmers in New Zealand and are responsible for 60 percent of milk produced, McDonald told the Militant.

McDonald's problems with his employer date back two and a half years, to the beginning of his contract on Barfoote's farm. In a telephone interview with the Militant, McDonald explained that the farm owner, who has assets worth around $4 million, had reneged on promises to share grazing costs and allow him to increase the herd, and as well as withholding his monthly paycheck.

Farmers often work for many years as sharemilkers to save enough to buy their own farm. McDonald was anticipating being able to do this when this contract ended. "This has effectively blown 14 years of my life out of the water" he said.

In March Barfoote sacked McDonald, using the excuse that his herd was three cows short of the number specified in the contract -a matter usually resolved by compensation. The firing sets a bad precedent, explained McDonald. "You're going to get families, cows, and machinery turfed out willy-nilly." He said that he believed Barfoote was looking for a way to end the contract early to get his own herd on the farm.

The matter went to arbitration. The arbitrator ruled in Barfoote's favor, stipulating that part of McDonald's herd should be held by the farm owner as security for substantial legal costs also awarded him. McDonald finally secured an advance of money from a benefactor to use as security, allowing the herd to be released July 30.

The picket, at times up to 30-strong, drew in local farmers and farm workers, outraged by Barfoote's actions. "They can't just take your cows," farm worker Nicky Clayden told the Militant on a visit to the picket July 25.

Few of the protesters had been involved in such an action before. "We've been manning [the picket] 24 hours, as is apparently required," farmer Sue Kernot said on television. "We're learning as we go about these pickets." They were astounded and angry when 14 police cars with cops in riot gear turned out July 27 to escort a milk tanker onto Barfoote's farm through a back road, avoiding the picket. With the support of the Dairyworkers Union, which organizes milk tanker drivers, the pickets had until then successfully prevented the collection of milk from the farm. The farmer, who was milking the cows with the help of family members, a farm laborer, and a security guard, had been forced to spray the uncollected milk onto the ground.

McDonald and his supporters had also become concerned about the condition of the herd. On July 23 he was arrested for trespass, after going onto the farm to check the health of the cows. A Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries official was assaulted while accompanying him on this visit, and McDonald was held overnight in a police cell.

McDonald now has no prospect of another sharemilking contract until next year, as most contracts start in June. He plans to look for wage work milking cows, while appealing the arbitration ruling and for compensation for loss of income. The local community has launched an appeal for a trust fund to assist McDonald with his court costs.

Felicity Coggan is a member of the Engineers Union.  
 
 
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