NSW government approves $174m in flood grants

Since March there have been 8184 flood grants approved across 62 local government areas impacted by severe weather and floods that began in February.

To date, the Rural Assistance Authority (RAA) has received 4,822 applications for the $75,000 Special Disaster Grant and distributed $89.7 million to approved applicants in the first round.

The Critical Producer Grants of up to $100,000 which is the second tranche of funding under the Special Disaster Grant for primary producers and primary production enterprises opened on September 16, with 480 applications received and $25.5m approved.

So far, 1,240 applications have been received for the $25,000 Rural Land Holders Grant, with a total of $6.8m approved.

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Following the second major flood event that began in June and extended right through until August in some parts, Special Disaster Grants and Rural Landholder Grants were once again made available, this time to 50 LGAs.

In July, the RAA began accepting applications for the $75,000 Special Disaster Grant. To date, 1,437 applications have been received, with $51.7m approved in principle and $20m disbursed to approved applicants.

Also in July, the $25,000 Rural Landholder Grant opened again, with 205 applications received to date and more than $638,000 distributed.

Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders said throughout the course of this year, primary producers and regional communities had dealt with excessive rain and catastrophic floods, severely depleting production capacity and testing the resilience of individuals, businesses and communities.

Mr Saunders encouraged impacted farmers and landholders to report damage to the NSW Primary Industries disaster damage survey.

"This helps us to see what areas have been impacted and how severely, including the number of damaged crops, animals and infrastructure, so we can direct the right support to the right areas to assist with recovery efforts," Mr Saunders said.

Meanwhile Rural Aid is offering immediate financial assistance to flood-impacted primary producers who can apply for a $500 pre-paid visa card.

Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said many farmers were in an anxious state right now, with flood water putting livestock, crops and livelihoods at serious risk.

"When the flood water recedes and farmers survey the damage, the true extent of this flooding crisis will become clear," Mr Warlters said.