Queensland farmers are being urged to have their say about the effectiveness of drought support measures by completing a new survey and taking part in an independent review that is now underway.
AgForce CEO Michael Guerin said more than half of Queensland was drought declared and many areas had been for more than six years, which had taken an emotional, financial and environmental toll on many regional communities.
"Producing great food and fibre while coping with the vagaries of the weather is an ongoing challenge for Queensland farmers, with the prolonged nature of this current drought overwhelming even the best efforts of many producers to prepare," Mr Guerin said.
"The Queensland Government’s review of its drought programs is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on what assistance measures are currently in place and what could help producers prepare for future droughts.” An independent review panel seeking submissions and holding a forum in Cloncurry in coming weeks as well as ones in Dalby, Charleville, Ayr, Bundaberg and Longreach.
AgForce is encouraging producers to get involved and have their say.
Mr Guerin said AgForce was preparing a submission and was seeking input from farmers via a new survey.
"The last major drought survey we did with members was in 2015 and the situation for many farmers has changed significantly since then so we want as many people as possible to complete the survey over the next few weeks," he said.
"Drought has such a big impact on Australian agriculture and extended dry periods are a recurring feature so we need governments at all levels and politicians on all sides to come together with industry to work on a sustainable approach to managing this issue now and into the future."
The Cloncurry forum is on Thursday October 4 at the Cloncurry Community Precinct from 11am-1pm.
The government wants producers’ feedback on what can be improved and how better resilience can be built in the future to the independent panel.