By Jason Irvine
Rural Aid is offering financial assistance to eligible, registered farmers across New South Wales, Tasmania, and Victoria impacted by the recent flooding events, with a $500 pre-paid Visa card to help them with day to day expenses.
Rural Aid CEO, John Warlters, says the charity’s help will allow primary producers to continue the road to recovery after damage from the floods.
“Many farmers are in an anxious state right now, with floodwater putting livestock, crops and livelihoods at serious risk,” Mr Warlters said.
“When the flood water receded and farmers survey the damage, the true extent of this flooding crisis will become clear.
“Rural Aid is standing with our farmers to help them work through what will be a lengthy, expensive and overwhelming recovery. This flood-specific financial assistance will help make the recovery that little bit easier.”
Additional donations from agribusiness companys GrainCorp and Elders totalling $250,000 meant Rural Aid would be able to do more support the flood response efforts, assisting more families in more communities, according to Mr Warlters.
Rural Aid board member and Deniliquin farmer, Airlie Landale, said the devastation of the floods was having a huge affect on farmers in regional areas.
“It was nearly summer, yet it still feels like winter is rolling on and haunting us. It feels wrong to be speaking about it too much, but the impact of recent floods has been devastating for so many,” Ms Landale said.
“Farmers have lost thousands upon thousands of hectares of crop. Producers have lost livestock, fences and their homes, and rural communities and business have been isolated and inundated with water. It will take months – if not years – for people to recover, but I know the strength and resilience of our rural people will once again shine through.”
The Rural Aid counselling team is available to travel to the worst hit communities to offer on-farm chats and counselling sessions to farmers. Book by calling 1300 327 624.
Flood-affected farmers can apply for financial assistance at www.ruralaid.org.au/services-provided/flood-assistance/.
