More financial help for Hawkesbury’s critical primary producers – grants up to $100K

Hawkesbury primary producers affected by flooding in February-March this year can now access additional funding of between $10,000 and $100,000 under a new joint Federal and State Government funded program.

The $100 million Critical Producer Grant Program is aimed at helping primary producers, including those in the Hawkesbury, who were hardest hit by floods earlier this year, many of whom were hit again in July.

Federal Minister for Emergency Management and Agriculture, Senator Murray Watt, and Macquarie MP Susan Templeman meeting with Hawkesbury vegetable and turf producers earlier this year…

“Our turf growers, vegetable farmers and cattle producers, have really felt the impacts of so many natural disasters in a short period of time, “ said MP Susan Templeman as she revealed the latest financial assistance.

“This is something Agriculture and Emergency Management Minister, Murray Watt ,saw first-hand when he and I met with primary producers in Pitt Town Bottoms in July.

“The damage incurred to our producers’ properties, infrastructure and crops was devastating, “ she said.

“This funding helps restore production systems and rebuild essential infrastructure to a standard that will better withstand future disasters.”

“It covers remedial earthworks and erosion management, where there has been storm or flood erosion, that promotes future resilience.

“It can also be used to replace plant stock for crop replanting, and pest management supplies for flood-affected pastures.”

Minister Watt said the Australian and New South Wales Governments remained committed to the recovery of flood-affected primary producers.

“We recognise that the farmers and individual families who put food and fibre on our plates have been significantly impacted by these immense flood events,” he said.

“These grants will help play an important role in supporting those in the sector who are trying to rebuild and continue producing after overwhelming losses.”

Funding is available to primary producers for:

• Dairy – up to $100,000

• Extensive livestock, broadacre cropping, turf production and perennial tree crops – up to $75,000

• Apiary, poultry and pork – up to $50,000

• Aquaculture, commercial fishers and other horticulture such as berries, vegetables, vine crops, cut flowers and nurseries – up to $30,000

• Private native forests and timber plantations – up to $10,000.

Applications for the Critical Producer Grant program are now open. For more information and to apply, visit: nsw.gov.au/criticalproducergrant

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