Wednesday, 23 October 2024 07:55

Help available for flood-hit farmers

Written by  Peter Burke
MPI is doing a needs assessment, but the Rural Support Trust, along with other agencies, is using its respective networks to double check that all those who need help will get it. MPI is doing a needs assessment, but the Rural Support Trust, along with other agencies, is using its respective networks to double check that all those who need help will get it.

The chair of the Otago Rural Support Trust, Tom Pinckney, says he believes that they will be especially busy in the coming months as the enormity of the floods hit home.

He says the goal of the trust right now is to ensure that no farmers in need are overlooked.

He says MPI is doing a needs assessment, but the trust, along with other agencies is using its respective networks to double check that all those who need help will get it.

"The trust has had some but not a lot of, direct requests for help, but this isn't surprising, with farmers focused on their immediate need to clear and repair fences and in some cases tracks on their properties," he says.

Pinckney says farmers will also have to re-grass damaged pastures and assess stock losses.

He says some farmers in the worst hit areas may have lost between 10-15% of their lambs.


 Read More


He says once farmers get their places back to normal and have time to assess what they are faced with, the issue of mental health will start to come to the fore.

He says that's why the trust is expecting the impacts of the floods to play out for some time with all sorts of pressures going on farmers.

More like this

Helping our youth to be resilient

OPINION: The Rural Support Trust ran a dinner and debate at the National Fieldays last month. In tables of 10, over 540 people were wined and dined, including the Prime Minister, supported by ministers from around the country.

Flood-hit Tasman farms begin long recovery

People affected by the recent two severe flood events in the Tasman district are weary and exhausted trying to deal with the devastation on their farms and orchards, according to the head of the Rural Support Trust (RST) in the region.

Featured

Winston Peters questions Fonterra divestment plan

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.

Cyclone Gabrielle lessons from Young Grower of the Year

If there was a silver lining in the tragedy that was Cyclone Gabrielle, for New Zealand Young Grower of the Year, Grace Fulford, it was the tremendous sense of community and seeing first-hand what good leadership looks like.

National

Machinery & Products

Disc mower range gets upgrade

Kuhn has announced an expansion of its range of disc mowers, distributed by Norwood in New Zealand, with the addition…

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Quid prod quo?

OPINION: Ageing lefty Chris Trotter reckons that the decision to delay recognition of Palestinian statehood is more than just a fit…

Deadwood

OPINION: A mate of yours truly recently met someone at a BBQ who works at a big consulting firm who spent…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter