Riverina farmers, Nationals MPs, and the Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association are all calling for more aid to be delivered to the drought-affected farmers in the state’s south. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
Amid droughts being declared across southern parts of NSW, farmers from across the region are calling for the State and Federal governments to provide some much-needed aid.
With grain becoming scarce, crops struggling to grow, and rain basically being non-existent, many farmers are being forced to sell undersized livestock and look at cheaper alternatives to keep crops alive.
Windermere farmer Tony Clough is one of many who have been forced to make changes to the way their farms operate. Despite the current drought situation not being as bad as what was seen in 2018, Mr Clough is adamant that farmers are at breaking point.
“We have the best agricultural industry in the world and the government needs to realise that the country depends upon those industries,” Mr Clough said.
“It’s dead set dry in this part of the country at the moment. It doesn’t matter how many crops go in or how much fertiliser we put in there. Nothing is going to happen.
“We’re also on town water, but the dams are all dead set dry.
“So at the moment, we’re either trying to get water out of the creeks, to put water in those dams so we can water our livestock. There has been such little rainfall at the beginning so far, and when it does rain, we are only allowed to collect 10 per cent of whatever falls.
“How dare someone like the government today say that we can only take 10 per cent of that rainfall and store it? We should be able to store every little bit of rain that comes out of the atmosphere. It doesn’t belong to anyone. It belongs to the place it lands on. And so therefore, why can’t we store that water?”
During his visit to the Rivierina, state Nationals leader Dugald Saunders made a plea to the State and Federal governments to recognise the hardships affecting farmers in the state’s south.
“Farmers in the south are really struggling right now, with the price of feed going through the roof and very little water around, but there’s no plan whatsoever from the NSW Government,” Mr Saunders said.
“We allocated a billion dollars to the Farm Innovation Fund, but now that money has been exhausted, the government’s alternative is clearly not up to scratch, with just $250m on offer and much higher interest rates.
“The situation in Wagga has shown us how quickly the rest of the state could slip into drought, and the government needs to take action to provide more support and certainty because failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
“Suicide rates are 94 per cent higher for Australian farmers compared to non-farmers, which is a life lost every 10 days that could have been prevented with the right support.
Primary producers have been through a lot the past few years; we need the NSW Government to put politics aside and guarantee it won’t cut vital support.”
President of the Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association Peter Cabot said there were record sell-offs of sheep and cattle in the past six weeks, with most livestock being undersized or sold early due to drought.
“There are a lot of producers hurting in the Riverina because it’s been dry for some time. I’m feeding sheep or cattle every day, and I’ve got friends who have spent a fortune on fodder already,” Mr Clough said.
“Farmers expect to come across tough times, and they tend to deal with that in their own way, but it would be good to have the backing of the government for both short and long-term support to become more resilient.
“Those who are struggling need some help to get back on their feet, and then the government needs to come up with some sort of incentives for farmers to conserve fodder or reduce water costs to prepare for what’s to come.”
