LKL Services to Agriculture

Survey Shows Up Relief Worries

DAIRY producers opt for contract herd care for many reasons, but among the most important are the fact that it means they have no worries about finding relief staff to cover for sickness and holidays. This comes through in the results of a survey* carried out on behalf of LKL Services among users of herd care, non-users and contract herdsmen used by the company. Users were informed that the survey was being conducted on behalf of LKL, but it was carried out by a third party with confidentiality of the responses guaranteed.

The difficulty of recruiting good herdsmen was also one of the main considerations in going down the contract route, while guaranteeing the vacant possession of farm cottages when the contract arrangement ends was also given a high priority. More than a quarter (26%) of users of LKL's contract herd care believed it to cost about the same as employing someone directly, while a further 43% think it costs up to 9% more. It was felt to be less expensive by 2%. A full 60% of users surveyed agreed that the overall performance of their herd had improved since the move to contract herd care. Just over half thought it gave them less hassle with paperwork, while it allowed more than 40% to take a less active role in day to day management of the herd. Among non-users, only 16% would consider moving to a contract service if their current herdsman left. Their unprompted reasons for not doing so included a preference for direct labour, local staff and some thought it would be too expensive. Other concerns included continuity of labour, flexibility of contract workers, retaining full control over work and over cottages.

Contractors who responded to the survey had been with LKL for an average of almost six years, had been in their current contract for an average of four years, with service ranging between one month and 27 years. The main attraction of contract work was the freedom of being self-employed.

*staffing on dairy units - conducted on behalf of LKL Services by In-Touch Research Services. Non customers were found through the situations vacant pages of FARMERS WEEKLY and interviewed by phone to give 68 completed questionnaires. The identity of the instigator of the survey was not disclosed.