By TANIA PHILLIPS
NATIONAL Farmers Federation President Brent Finlay has urged local farmers to take advantage of assistance schemes as the Southern Downs becomes one of 15 new shires in Queensland now declared in drought.
Emergency aid and funding is being made available to Downs farmers as 79 per cent of Queensland is declared in drought – the largest area ever recorded.
Queensland Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry John McVeigh added the southern Queensland Shires of Banana, Bundaberg, Cherbourg, Fraser Coast, Gladstone, Goondiwindi, Gympie, Moreton Bay, Noosa, North Burnett, South Burnett, Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, and Western Downs to the already long list of drought stricken areas, effective from 1 March 2014.
Mr Finlay, who operates a farm at Traprock just on the edge of the Southern Downs urged farmers to seek assistance from the schemes including the new $320 million assistance package announced by the Federal Government two weeks ago.
Drought Concessional Loans totalling $280 million will be allocated to give eligible farm businesses the resources to recover from the effects of drought, however Mr Finlay urged farmers not to self-assess.
“We urge people not to do a self-assessment,” he said.
“Instead farmers should contact the Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority – they know all the assistant measures that are available.”
“They need to get them through what looks like being a tough situation with many farmers looking at going a second season without being able to plant a crop.”
Mr McVeigh said the drought now extended all the way to the coast, including some areas devastated 13 months ago by record flooding and was now pressing on the northern suburbs of Brisbane.
“The number of local government areas drought declared is now 38, plus four partially declared shires, increasing the area of Queensland that is drought declared to 79 per cent,” Mr McVeigh said.
“There are also 38 Individually Droughted Properties (IDPs) in another seven shires, and this number will continue to rise.
“Queensland is a big state and there is usually a drought somewhere, but this is the largest area of Queensland that has ever been drought declared at one time.
“The wet season in these newly declared shires has been very poor with many areas missing out altogether. February, normally one of the wettest times of the year, has been particularly dry.
“The Burnett and coastal areas from Gladstone to Caboolture have not received any useful rain since Cyclone Oswald. Darling Downs shires have also had a very hard summer, with a well below average dryland crop that failed for many producers, and to date no rain for winter crop planting.
“I am reminding all Queensland producers in need, not just those in areas drought declared for State Government assistance, that the income support in the new federal assistance package is now available from Centrelink.
“Queensland and NSW are working with the Federal Government to make other aspects of the package, such as the debt restructuring loans, available as soon as possible.”
