Farmers need financial support for huge flood damage bill, VFF says

With the damage bill running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Victorian Government has come under fire for the support it has offered.

Floods around Traralgon have caused a huge damage bill for farmers. Picture: David Caird

Victoria’s peak farming body has accused the State Government of not doing enough to support farmers hit by devastating storms that destroyed thousands of hectares of pasture and crops, and killed hundreds of livestock.

Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano said the Government’s recent announcement of an agriculture recovery manager was inadequate.

“I do not think the scale and impact of this enormous disaster has been fully appreciated,” she said.

“There are many farmers that have had 80 per cent, 90 per cent of their farm underwater, lost large numbers of stock and have had their fences wiped out.”

As of Monday, farmers in Gippsland had reported 492 stock losses, 258 hectares of crops lost, 5496 hectares of pasture loss, 622km of fences destroyed, and 91 structures lost including sheds, pumps and farm buildings.

The VFF wrote to the Victorian Government last week to request government grants to help farming businesses.

“Fencing, pasture rehab, road repair, new stock water pumps; these are the types of things farmers need help with,” Ms Germano said.

VFF president Emma Germano says farmers need financial support from the government to help with storm damage. Picture: Nicole Cleary

“Thousands of farmers were hit by this devastating storm and ensuing floods with the damage bill running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for many of these farmers. This warrants government assistance.”

The VFF also requested the Victorian Government make an application for Category C Relief and Recovery Assistance through the National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements to allow the provision of relief and recovery grants for primary producers.

Agriculture Minister Mary-Anne Thomas announced the new role of the agriculture recovery manager on Monday after visiting flood-hit Gippsland.

Their work includes providing technical advice for issues including stock health, nutrition and feed budgeting, fencing, pasture recovery and grazing management, soil erosion and dams and waterways.

“We’re supporting affected communities, including specialised work with our agricultural community, providing landholders with advice, referrals and impact assessments,” Ms Thomas said.

Victorian Opposition agriculture spokesman Peter Walsh, who visited Gippsland the week before Ms Thomas, also took aim at the Government’s agriculture recovery manager this week saying the announcement was a let-down and not the practical, on-the-ground aid farmers needed.

“We need common sense solutions, like support to replace damaged fencing or changes to firewood collection rules to allow Victorians to cut up storm hit trees on our roadsides to heat their homes,” Mr Walsh said.

“Farmers just want to get on with it, they want immediate assistance that will make a practical difference right now.”

It comes as disaster-aid charity BlazeAid sets up bases at Heyfield today and Yinnar on Monday to help farmers with their clean-up and is in need of volunteers.