Federated Farmers Southland senior vice president Bernadette Hunt said while they strongly encouraged anybody with available grazing to take up the MPI’s call, they must also consider their own needs throughout the winter. “It’s a great thing to do if people do have grazing available,” Hunt said, but farmers must make sure they’re “not leaving themselves short”. “We had a request from north Canterbury even before the floods, so we know they’re doing it tough,” she said. The current worker shortage in the agriculture sector shouldn’t be a factor in Southland’s ability to assist in flood recovery. Instead, it would primarily be dependent on the feed farmer’s already had on hand, she said.