Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) has raised the alarm on the plight of dairy farmers in New South Wales – many of whom are battling the worst floods in living memory.
While welcoming government assistance for those in flood-affected local government areas, ADF believes more must be done to support farmers in these regions.
Dairy farmers can’t simply stop milking their cows when a flood hits. This, combined with stock losses and the pressures of losing electricity, pasture and fodder, has left many farmers in dire need of assistance.
“We welcome the natural disaster declaration for flood affected parts of NSW, but more must be done to help dairy farmers,” ADF President Ben Bennett said.
“We call on governments to offer primary producers assistance with the cleanup and recovery, given the severity of this disaster.
“Farmers are telling us these floods are the worst in decades, perhaps even the worst in living memory, with the floods described as a 1-in-500 year event.
“I can’t stress enough he importance of putting plans in place now to ensure assistance flows as soon as the water recedes.”
Mr Bennett said rebuilding from this event would be particularly difficult for dairy farmers, given fodder prices are already elevated due to the drought conditions further south.
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