As widespread flooding affects farms from Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, Rural Aid has stepped in to help farmers with financial support and counselling services. Rural Aid’s team of counsellors are conducting welfare checks on all of the organisations registered farmers.
Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said the floods were hitting particularly hard in Victoria’s north, while in NSW and Queensland, farmers with crops nearing harvest were increasingly anxious as flood water and continuing rain caused costly downgrading.
“It’s upsetting to hear stories of flooded homes, dead livestock, and flattened crops,” Mr Warlters said.
“Months of hard work and investment has now been written off, alongside people’s homes, fences, sheds and machinery,” Mr Warlters said.
Rural Aid has been on the front foot, responding rapidly to the unfolding situation – sharing its dedicated counselling phone line with the thousands of farmers in impacted regions and, where safe to do so, mobilising its counsellors to offer one-on-one emotional support to producers on-farm.
The entire counselling team has been phoning farmers across the flood-impacted regions. Registered primary producers are also being offered financial assistance as they deal with the devastating effects of the flood.
More than 70 local government areas (LGAs) across the three states are directly affected, impacting thousands of families.
Rural Aid counsellors are expecting an increase in calls to its new dedicated 1300 175 594 counselling line as the extent of the current flooding situation becomes more apparent.
Farmers registered with Rural Aid can access counselling support and request financial assistance and fodder for livestock.
Producers that aren’t registered are encouraged to do so immediately via www.ruralaid.org.au or by calling 1300 327 624.
For more information or interviews, contact Rural Aid media on media@ruralaid.org.au or 0447 116 757.