Farmers and primary producers

Primary Producer Bushfire Recovery Grants

Primary Producer Grants of $75,000 can help cover the costs of clean-up and getting back to business, including:

• safety inspections
• equipment and wages for clean-up
• replacing fences
• removing debris, damaged goods and deceased livestock.

To be eligible, primary producers must:

• be in a declared local government area (LGA) and have an ABN
• derive at least 50% of gross income from primary production in an average year

or

• derive over $75,000 gross income from primary production.

The grant is split into 2 tiered payments and up to 3 separate applications can be made up to the maximum grant amount available under the program.

The program is administered by Rural Finance on behalf of the Victorian Government.

Grant applications are now open. Program guidelines and additional supporting information is available from Rural Finance.

Apply on the Rural Finance website.

Primary Producers Bushfire Recovery Concessional Loans

Concessional loans of up to $250,000 are available for primary producers who have seen significant damage to assets due to fires.

The loans are intended to be used for restoring and replacing damaged assets, or for working capital expenses that cannot be met due to a loss of income.

This assistance will help cover essential costs such as:

• repairing or replacing fire damaged equipment
• rebuilding infrastructure
• replacing livestock
• meeting working capital expenses like wages, rent, and fodder.

To be eligible, primary producers must:

• be in a declared local government area (LGA) and have an ABN
• derive at least 50% of gross income from primary production in an average year
  or
• derive over $75,000 gross income from primary production.

The amount available is based on an assessment of the applicants’ financial position, including any amount recoverable under an insurance policy and cannot be more than the amount reasonably required.

Applicants can only apply for a maximum loan amount of $250,000.

The program is administered by Rural Finance on behalf of the Victorian Government.

Applications for loans are now open.

To apply go to the Rural Finance website.

Livestock

Livestock welfare

Landholders concerned about livestock welfare can contact Agriculture Victoria on 1800 226 226. Agriculture Victoria will work with the fire Incident Controller to assess the request and determine the earliest and safest way to get access.

Emergency Fodder Support Program

Farmers can access emergency fodder for livestock affected by the fires.

The Victorian Farmers Federation will lead the supply, transport, and distribution of fodder.

More information can be found on the Victorian Farmers Federation website.

Livestock disposal

On-farm and off-farm options exist for the disposal of animal carcasses, including, knackeries and rendering facilities, licensed landfills and on-farm burial.

Agriculture Victoria has established a Livestock Disposal Advisory service to assist landholders with advice to dispose of livestock.

This service can be contacted on 0407 145 007 and livestock.disposal@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

More information can be found on the Agriculture Victoria website.

Water replacement

Find help on our Water relief and replacement page.

Fencing

Eligible property owners may get support to repair fencing if:

• firefighting or disaster response teams brought about the damage, or
• the fence is on the boundary of National Parks, State Parks or State Forests.

To find out if your damage is eligible for support, you can contact the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action on 136 186.

Land surveys

There are land surveyors who will provide professional advice on surveys and perform title boundary surveys at a discounted rate, only covering costs or less.

Contact the Surveyor-General Victoria on 03 9194 0282 or email surveyor.general@transport.vic.gov.au.

Counselling

The Rural Financial Counselling Service

The Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) is accessible for bushfire affected primary producers, and offers free, confidential wellbeing support alongside financial and business counselling support.

RFCS wellbeing counsellors can visit bushfire-affected producers at their property or talk over the phone to assist with mental health and wellbeing issues for individuals and their families.

The RFCS is also available to assist primary producers with understanding and applying for recovery support.

To access the support of a wellbeing counsellor, call the Rural Financial Counselling Service on 1300 771 741.

The Look Over the Farm Gate program

The Look Over the Farm Gate (LOTFG) program is delivered by the National Centre for Farmer Health and is available to farming communities experiencing stress.

The LOTFG has been brought forward to meet the immediate needs of bushfire affected communities and provides grants of up to $5,000 for events and activities to support mental health and wellbeing.

Information is available on the National Centre for Farmer Health website.

Rural Aid Australia

Rural Aid Australia offers financial assistance and free counselling for affected farmers. More information is available on the Rural Aid Australia website.