UPDATED 11:15am FERAL pest control and water infrastructure management for farmers in NSW are the focus of new funding measures announced today by both the State and federal governments.
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NSW Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson said the NSW government has allocated an additional $8 million to the Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate as part of its drought funding for the 2014-15 financial year.
Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce also announced $2.4 million in funding to help farmers in NSW deal with feral animals and pests, and the government is also expecting to sign off on up to $4 million for the NSW Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate program in the coming weeks.
NSW Farmers Western Division spokesman Wayne Newton said the water infrastructure funding would be welcomed in western NSW where farmers were still struggling with the drought.
"Large areas of Walgett, Brewarrina and Bourke (Local Government Areas) are still in a very bad drought situation," Mr Newton said.
"The $8 million (from the state government) would be helpful."
Mr Newton said farmers in the west still wanted further clarification on what would happen to existing water infrastructure projects under the Cap and Pipe the Bores program, which is scheduled to end on June 30.
Ms Hodgkinson said the additional water infrastructure funding helped farmers in crisis by allowing them to provide water to livestock and also better prepare for future droughts.
Mr Joyce said that the new $2.4 million funding for pests and feral animals will help manage the impacts that predators, such as wild dogs, feral pigs and foxes, have on stock concentrated around fewer watering points.
“We know that pest animals, like wild dogs and pigs, are a huge problem for Australian farmers and in drought these pests become even more of an issue.
“These measures are part of the drought support scheme I announced in late February," Mr Joyce said.
