Media Release                                                                                                            For immediate release

21 March 2020

Support kicks in for Bay of Plenty farmers in drought

As drought grips many parts of the country, the ongoing challenges faced by farmers in Bay of Plenty have prompted the Bay of Plenty Primary Sector Coordination Group (PSCG) to draw on recently released Government funding.

Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor last week classified the drought in the North Island, parts of the South Island and the Chathams as a large-scale adverse event, unlocking up to $2 million in Government funding to support farmers and growers from now until June 2021.

Miles Mander, chair of the Primary Sector Coordination Group (PSCG) and Bay of Plenty Rural Support Trust said that primary industry representatives and agencies had been monitoring the drought situation in the Bay of Plenty for several months.

“We were about to request drought classification for the BOP to support farmers and growers when the Minister made the announcement, which includes the BOP.”

“This drought package provides funding to the Trust to ramp up its support to farmers and growers who are struggling with the drought conditions. I encourage farmers who are finding the going tough and need help, or know someone that does, to get in touch with the Trust for a confidential chat and some guidance from one of the team.”

Drought classification also unlocks access to IRD’s Tax Equalisation Scheme and Rural Assistance Payments (RAPs) to help families in extreme hardship. The Rural Support Trust can support applying for RAPs which are the equivalent of the jobseekers’ allowance.

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, PSCG industry stakeholders’ BBQ events had been cancelled. “Now is the time to get creative and find alternative ways to support those affected by drought in these changing times,” said Miles.

BOP Provincial Federated Farmers President Darryl Jensen said that while current conditions were putting a real strain on farmers, with support they would come out the other side.

“Bay of Plenty farmers are resilient but this drought seems never-endin

Before severe rain

· Keep an eye on weather reports and enact your plans for moving stock and supplementary feed to higher ground if needed.

· Clear gutters and drains where possible

· Have to hand a smartphone, a charger for the car, a torch, and a battery-powered radio

· Check your insurance cover details

During a flood or storm

· Keep an eye on https://www.civildefence.govt.nz/ and your regional council websites/facebook or radio station

· The safety of you, your family, and workers comes first.

· Move stock to safety, shelter and water and make sure they can't wander. Are the electric fences working?

· Turn off utilities if told to do so by authorities as it can help prevent damage to your home or community. Unplug small appliances to avoid damage from power surges.

· Do not attempt to drive or walk through floodwaters unless essential.

· Check power and phones. Report outages.

· Check dogs, poultry and pets.

· Check on neighbours - do they need help or can they help you?

· Check buildings at risk, feed stacks. · Use generators if necessary to keep pumps, refrigeration, electric fences and household appliances running. Flood pumps may need attention. 

Further information:

https://www.dairynz.co.nz/business/adverse-events/flood/

https://beeflambnz.com/news-views/topics/flooding

MPI Animal welfare