A trusted rural charity, Rural Aid, is encouraging farmers to reach out for assistance as the Bureau of Meteorology officially declares an El Nino event.
The El Nino weather pattern means hot, dry seasons that trend towards drought.
Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said the Bureau’s announcement confirmed many producers’ fears.
“The announcement of the El Nino weather pattern will bring a lot of unwelcome memories to the surface for our farmers, who’ve been anxiously watching land and waterways dry up,” Mr Warlters said.
“We’re encouraging farmers to reach out and register with Rural Aid now.”
Rural Aid offers primary producers a range of assistance measures including financial, hay, drinking water, counselling and volunteer assistance.
“We’ve already seen a huge increase in requests for emergency hay and household drinking water from farmers right across the country,” Mr Warlters said.
“In the past four months, requests to Rural Aid for emergency drinking water have increased by 240 per cent, and our free water tank offer was exhausted in just four hours with more than 95 applications. We’re aiming to deliver another 50 water tanks by the end of this year to meet demand.
“I’m encouraging farmers who are finding themselves overwhelmed to give our rurally-based counselling team a call for a free chat, to make sure they’re in the best possible position they can be to take on the upcoming seasons,” Mr Warlters said.
Primary producers are urged to register online at www.ruralaid.org.au or by calling 1300 327 624.
Rural Aid’s counsellors can be reached at 1300 175 594.
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