THREE days before Christmas, a ruinous, improbable hailstorm devastated fruit growers, tomato plantations and wheat fields over 1,000ha from Tatura to Bunbartha.
With primary producers consequently now facing restricted supply and with some farmers having lost expensive machinery and sustaining significant damage, the Hon Gayle Tierney, Minister for Training and Skills, Higher Education and Agriculture visited the region on Wednesday, January 4 to inspect the hail damage at Tatura.
Meeting with mayor, Cr Shane Sali, Greater Shepparton City Council acting CEO Geraldine Christou and senior executives, Minister Tierney along with representatives from Agriculture Victoria discussed the recent hailstorm and the October flood damage to the local agricultural industry.
Explaining the impact that the natural disasters have had on local producers, Cr Sali said, “Significant financial assistance is needed to help growers get back on their feet and to make sure they can invest in products that will protect their crops in the future.
“The flood event in October effectively cut Greater Shepparton in half when the causeway flooded, inhibiting the provision of goods and services across the municipality, as well as critical workers having difficulty accessing places of employment.
“Without a second crossing in place it really brought home to many people how vital the Shepparton GV Highway bypass is to the future sustainability of our region,” Cr Sali said.
Minister Tierney recognised the importance of a sustainable food bowl region and encouraged primary producers impacted by flood and hailstorm to use the Agriculture Victoria website as the source of information to access flood support services.
Flood support services for impacted primary producers can be found at www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/farm-management/emergency-management/floods/flood-resource-directory.
