From: AAP .. April 27, 2012 1:23PM .. Last updated: May 04, 2012
CHANGES announced today to federal government drought support programs are piecemeal and frustrating, Queensland farmers say.
The Queensland Farmers Federation (QFF) says producers are frustrated the full recommendations of an exhaustive drought policy review process are not being implemented.
Under the changes the interest rate subsidy for Exceptional Circumstance (EC) payments will end on June 30.
QFF head Dan Galligan says his organisation supported replacement of the subsidy with more complete and proactive farm business support programs.
"Where are the policy initiatives that would help farms transition to better preparedness for future droughts and deal with extreme climate variability?" Mr Galligan said in a statement.
"The Productivity Commission and stakeholders are generally in agreement that the EC interest rate policy has been less than adequate," he said.
"But even so it distributed over $350 million to over 10,000 Queensland farmers during the nine-year drought, and what we all want to see is this money spent in a more productive way, not simply withdrawn back into treasury coffers."
Mr Galligan said Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig has given no detail of any such initiative and Queensland farmers feel "dudded" by their national government.
He said while the minister was quite right to say that with Australia now drought-free, the time was ripe for reform.
"But reform requires the full range of recommendations to be implemented, not just one item with a budget focus.
"This policy inertia is most frustrating for everyone concerned with boosting agriculture productivity."
You beat me to that one .. the end of drought assistance could very well be budget related, anyway the declared end of a 9 year drought is good news .. this farmer has adapted in a novel way ..
The man who chopped his trees in half
By Julia Holman .. Wednesday, 09/11/2011
Les Langlands at his orchard in Young NSW (Julia Holman
An orchardist in Young, NSW, took a drastic decision when last decade's drought began to pinch.
He chopped his fruit trees in half, from four metres to two, so they wouldn't need as much water.
Now the drought has broken, Les Langlands says he's not going to start irrigating again.
He says his produce isn't as consistent as it was when it was irrigated, so he drives four hours each weekend to the Sydney farmers markets to sell his produce.
"If I was sending to the central markets I'd have to irrigate, there's no doubt about that, to get the size and the colour and everything there," he said.
"But with farmers markets, as long as it eats well, that's all that matters to them."
Mr Langlands says that he can make up to $6,000 at the two Sydney farmers markets he sells at.
And he says it's a lot easier to manage his orchard now he's not irrigating.
"It's a lot of work irrigation, anybody will tell you that," he said.
"You've got to go and check drippers and pumps and one thing and another, so I'm happy not to irrigate, I'm lazy. In my old age I'd rather not!"
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