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 

It’s easy to see if there’s a flood or an earthquake, but drought’s an odd one to call. When does a dry spell become a drought?

Dry spells and droughts are part of life for many farmers across New Zealand. Farmers monitor their local conditions, plan for dry weather, and make tough decisions early.

MPI doesn’t declare droughts, but help to identify if the impacts of a drought on the primary sector should be classified as a medium- or large-scale adverse event, under the criteria in the Primary Sector Recovery Policy.