VICTORIAN dairy farmers appreciate the support being shown by the federal and Victorian governments during a difficult time for dairy farmers caused by ongoing dry conditions and, significantly, milk price cuts announced by two major processors.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford helped negotiate a package that puts industry and government money on the table to support dairy farmers, including:
- A major expansion of Dairy Australia’s Tactics for Tight Times and Taking Stock programs, providing specialised on-farm business support to enable dairy farmers to make the best decisions
- An extra $240,000 towards the Rural Financial Counselling Service, ensuring dairy farmers can get independent and confidential financial counselling.
- $1.5 million for mental health well-being, including extra counselling services, mental health first aid training, and a $100,000 boost towards the Look Over the Farm Gate program.
- And $4.5 million to support affected farming communities (the government will consult dairy farmers and their communities on how this money is spent).
Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has also announced a support package, which includes:
- $555 million in Dairy Recovery Concessional Loans
- $2 million to establish a commodity milk price index
- $900,000 for more rural financial counsellors
- $900,000 for the Tactics for Tight Times program
- 18 more Department of Human Services employees to help fast track Farm Household Allowance applications
- Appointment of a Department of Human Services Dairy Industry liaison officer
- Redirection of two Department of Human Services mobile service centres to dairy regions
This is about supporting farmers as they go through tough times; this is not going to put extra dollars in farmers’ pockets.
Dairy farmers are still frustrated and angry at the price cuts and claw-backs that Murray Goulburn and Fonterra have implemented.
But this crisis is all about farmers working together to find practical solutions to the enormous challenges we all now face.
