The farmer I worked for is telling people I'm useless — what can I do?

I have recently found out that the farmer I am currently doing work for has been meeting other farmers and calling me 'useless' and saying that I 'rarely show up to do the job' — what can I do?

Defamation tends to favour plaintiffs, insofar as the burden of proof is not on the plaintiff to prove their good reputation, but on the defendant to prove that the statement is true. File picture.

Dear Stephen,

I am an independent contractor and I have recently been contracted to work on land owned by an older dairy farmer.