Farmers have to be at the end of their tether to apply for drought assistance and when they do they're more likely to throw their hands up because it's too difficult to access.
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That's the message from farmers who are doing everything they can to survive the prolonged drought.
With 100 per cent of the state in drought and the outlook for winter looking dry, 20 per cent of people surveyed by The Land ahead of the state election said they had sought drought assistance. The Land reported on the survey of 832 people last week, in which nearly half (45 per cent) said accessing drought assistance was too hard.
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"People don't want to take the assistance up, it's pride and they don't want to be part of the problem," NSW Farmers' president James Jackson said.
"There is an element of people who feel like they have failed to provide for their family if they go to the government for hand outs."
Mr Jackson, who was in White Cliffs yesterday, said there were those struggling to meet the requirements to access the state and federal government assistance packages.
He said while the government had altered the Farm Household Allowance (FHA), the criteria needed to be addressed again to be inclusive of those who had needed to start part-time jobs for off-farm income. And he said some even had to pay back FHA.
"They have altered it and it's easier than it was but it's not accessible enough," he said.
"Everywhere I go, someone who has got a part-time job has told me it excludes them from assistance programs."
Of those who had sought drought assistance in The Land survey, 34 per cent received the drought transport subsidy, 16 per cent drought assistance fund and 11 per cent farm household allowance. Other assistance received was farm innovation fund, donated fodder and rural financial counsellor.
Mr Jackson said the Farm Innovation Fund was not only beneficial to farmers but also communities as putting up infrastructure like sheds provided jobs and economic stimulus to the area.
Figures from the Department of Primary Industries show more than $305 million in Farm Innovation Fund loans have been distributed to 1,771 farmers since 2015. To date, 5,933 farmers have received more than $50m from the NSW Government's Drought Transport Subsidy program.
All 142,037 Local Land Services rates worth $50m have been waived, along with 2,285 Class 1A registrations totalling $173,000. There has been $51.8m distributed from the NSW Government's Drought Assistance Fund to 1,084 farmers.
Journalist based on the Mid North Coast for The Land.
Journalist based on the Mid North Coast for The Land.
