Agriculture Minister Ros Spence invited to drought-stricken southwest Victoria

Farmers have invited Victorian Agriculture Minister Ros Spence to the drought-hit southwest of the state in a bid to get financial assistance.

Farmers are keen for the state’s Agriculture Minister to visit southwest Victoria to see the green drought first-hand and open up the parliamentary purse-strings.

Australian Dairy Farmers president Ben Bennett and United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president Bernie Free have extended an invitation to Ros Spence to tour the region.

Southwest Victorian farmers have been pleading for a drought declaration, after receiving significant drops in fodder reserves and sharing concerns for local businesses.

Paschendale farmer Bill Lambert was one of about 100 farmers who received bales from Lions Club initiative Need for Feed, which brought more than 1000 bales to affected farmers.

He said he had bought hay earlier in the year for $260 a bale, but the same quality had since risen to $360.

“We’ve been suckered a bit but we’re in the job to keep our cows alive,” he said.

He said he hoped the state and federal governments could provide further support.

Merino farmer Shirley Menz said the state and federal governments had failed to communicate or initiate support for the farmers.

“We’re all busy feeding the stock ourselves without chasing [the government],” she said.

She said they hoped to receive funding or subsidies to help cover fodder and transport costs.

“I’m not up with all the rules and regulations on drought because we aren’t normally a drought-affected area,” Ms Menz said.

Mr Lambert recorded 140 millimetres of rain this year to date, in a region which averages 660mm annually.

“I’ve never seen our paddocks and hills as bare as what they are,” he said.

“If there was another two millimetres of length in the grass I reckon we’d be able to play a game of lawn bowls.”

Mr Bennett encouraged Ms Spence and federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt to visit southwest Victoria as soon as possible.

“Time is money. If they’ve got a busy schedule and just want to declare it a drought without visiting, that’s fine. But if they need some convincing over the drought, come down here, we’ll show you around the farms absolutely flattened by drought,” the ADF president said.

A spokesman for Ms Spence said the minister “routinely visited agricultural communities around Victoria” but did not specifically address a trip to the Western District.

The federal government stopped declaring droughts in 2021, citing a “consistent approach” for communities in the Drought Preparedness and Response Framework.