Fonterra helps flood-hit suppliers in Oz

Though the flood waters continue to recede, there's still a lot of water in paddocks, the co-op says.

"The good news is the waters are receding. Right now, we are helping flood-affected farmers in the region to recover. We were sorry to see the severity of the damage and want to make sure our farmers get back on their feet as quickly as possible."

Safety has been the co-op's priority during the floods. Staff, their families and farmer suppliers in the affected areas are said to be safe.

Fonterra closed its factory at Wagga Wagga, southwest of Sydney after an evacuation order was issued at the height of the floods on March 6. But the water peaked lower than expected and did not harm the plant, which reopened the next day and is now fully operational.

"During the height of the floods, milk from our farmers in this region was collected and transported to Stanhope for processing. Now all milk is being processed back at Wagga Wagga."

All milk had been collected from suppliers in the affected areas of Wagga Wagga and Northern Victoria, but 30 farmers were hit by the floods, having very wet pastures.

"We have worked closely with Murray Dairy and Dairy Australia on options for relief and support for affected farmers."

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared parts of NSW and Victoria as a catastrophe. The declaration covers the NSW Riverina, NSW Central West and northern Victoria, where thousands of people were forced out of their homes by floods.

ICA chief executive Rob Whelan says the declaration required an insurance taskforce to ensure policyholders got the help they might need as quickly.

"There have so far been fewer than 4000 claims, however we expect numbers to increase."