Dairy farmers and drought

EastAUSmilk is becoming very concerned about the impact of drought on dairy farmers in Queensland and parts of northern New South Wales.

The Bureau of Meteorology predicting below average rainfall through most dairy farming areas in Queensland and in north-eastern New South Wales over the next three months, and we’re getting reports from members that this year’s rainfall in some areas has been less than during the Millenium drought of two decades ago.

While recent rain in parts of New South Wales near Bega has eased conditions somewhat, they’re not out of the woods by any means.

If conditions like that continue, many dairy farms will experience great difficulty keeping herds alive, and the morale of dairying families will be once again crushed by circumstances beyond their control. That’s to say nothing about the likely financial consequences for those farms and their local communities.

Many are yet to fully recover from the devastating impact of dollar-a-litre milk, the last drought, and the last floods. An extended drought, without necessary government support, will be the last straw for some.

While eastAUSmilk backs the move by governments to support farmers to build their drought resilience, this drought has come too soon for that resilience to have built up, and too soon for financial and advisory supports to be removed.

We’re making representations to each of the New South Wales, Queensland, and Commonwealth governments to be ready with appropriate financial supports, as well as advice and other assistance, for drought-stricken farms.

Governments in the two states have historically had different approaches to programs of assistance to farms hit by drought, and the weather patterns are predicted to be quite different between most of New South Wales and Queensland, both governments need to understand the need to support their farmers and communities to outlast this drought.

Mike Smith, eastAUSmilk Government Relations Manager