THE Northern Tablelands will be the next part of NSW to host a drought tour as dry conditions worsen across the state.
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The Regional Assistance Advisory Committee (RAAC) has already toured areas around centres such as Bourke, Walgett, Cobar, Coonamble and Moree.
Now the Local Land Services' drought co-ordinator, Tim Johnston, will tour the Northern Tablelands on a fact-finding mission for the RAAC.
The announcement of the tour came after the RAAC determined the conditions in the Northern Tablelands had reached the trigger point for additional on-the-ground information, based on rainfall totals, soil moisture and pasture growth.
Northern Tablelands MP, Adam Marshall, who had been pressing for a conditional assessment, welcomed the visit and said it would help inform the advice and recommendations which RAAC would provide to the NSW Government shortly.
"When the Deputy Premier visited the electorate recently, I made sure he was able to visit farmers to see how the current extremely dry conditions are impacting on them and the local communities," Mr Marshall said.
Mr Marshall said conditions were dry right across his electorate, from the cropping areas in the West to the grazing lands in the East.
"Producers have been bringing in fodder all the way from Victoria," he said.
"There's a limit to how long people can go to that expense."
Chair of the Local Land Services Board of Chairs John Macarthur-Stanham said Mr Johnston began as the drought coordinator on 20 January 2014.
"Effective on-ground seasonal conditions reporting is a core function of Local Land Services and, in addition to gathering information for RAAC.
"Mr Johnston will meet with Local Land Services staff, local farmers and land managers and key members of the Northern Tablelands community," Mr Macarthur-Stanham said.
RAAC Chair David Palmer said seasonal conditions are deteriorating faster than anyone could have expected in a number of regions across NSW.
"RAAC is closely monitoring this worsening situation and will provide advice and recommendations to the NSW Government as required," Mr Palmer said.
To provide information to Local Land Services Northern Tablelands about seasonal conditions in your region, visit www.lls.nsw.gov.au or phone 1300 795 299.
