Farnsfield cane farmer Gerard Russo has received some welcome assistance from Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett.
Mr Bennett said local irrigators and farmers were feeling the pinch due to the lack of rain, and it was time Bill Byrne and his Palaszczuk government sat up and paid attention to the cries of struggling farmers.
“Despite the region not being drought-declared, I’ve met with many growers who are personally in dire straits with huge bills piling up for irrigation and even having to buy extra water that they simply can’t afford,” he said.
Mr Bennett said while the Minister wasted time making up his mind on drought-declaring the region, he strongly urged local farmers struggling with the current dry conditions to apply for an Individual Drought Declaration (IDP) through the Department of Agriculture.
“If irrigators and farmers have experienced a rainfall deficiency over the past year that’s a one in ten year event, they should look at whether they are eligible for help from the Department of Agriculture,” he said.
“One of the most important things to know is that an Individual Drought Declaration means that Ergon can waive or reimburse their daily supply charges for irrigation tariffs, saving farmers thousands of dollars.”
Mr Bennett and industry have already been able to assist 40 local farmers by getting electricity costs backdated, giving farmers some desperately needed financial relief.
Farnsfield farmer Gerard Russo was facing excessive daily supply charges from his last meter reading prior to being allocated an IDP, until Mr Bennett stepped in to help get those charges backdated to the beginning of his charge period.
“We would have been in dire straits had we not been drought-declared. It now gives us the chance to go out and purchase more water to try and keep this year’s crop going to capitalise on the good sugar prices,” Mr Russo said.
“Thanks to my local MP Stephen Bennett for his cooperation with getting us over the line.”
With no decent rainfall in sight for the foreseeable future, Mr Bennett wants to get the message to local growers and irrigators that help is available.
An Individual Drought Property declaration can mean subsidies for transporting fodder, water and stock; emergency water infrastructure rebates, and the all-important help with electricity supply charges.
For more information, contact the Department of Agriculture on 13 25 23 to talk to the drought declaration team, or contact Stephen Bennett’s office for a copy of the application form to submit online.
ENDS.
Monday, 13 February 2017