More than 19,000 bales of hay has been donated to fire-affected farmers in Victoria.

FODDER support for fire-affected farmers in south-west Victoria has been extended until May 15 this year.

The Victorian Government has extended the fodder drive and co-ordination support with the help of the Victorian Farmers Federation.

Agriculture Victoria director regions and emergencies Rachaele May said AV funds the VFF to coordinate the distribution of donated fodder for emergency purposes to farmers who have lost significant amounts of their pastures and fodder as a result of fires.

“Supply of emergency fodder is generally provided for four weeks; however, due to the circumstances associated with the recent south-west fires, this period has been doubled to eight weeks,” she said.

Beef and sheep farmers requiring feed budgeting advice should contact Michele Jolliffe from Agriculture Victoria on 0428 581 883. Dairy farmers are strongly encouraged to contact WestVic Dairy on (03) 5557 1000.

The area affected in the St Patrick’s Day fires included 3467 hectares around Gazette and Hawkesdale, 4064 hectares near Garvoc, 6770 hectares in the Terang fire and 380 hectares in the Camperdown-Gnotuk fire.

Ms May thanked the Victorian Farmers Federation for coordinating this scheme and said that while this assistance is coming to an end there is still plenty of support out there for farmers affected by the fires.

“There have been around 260 people offering to donate fodder, with 19,250 bales of fodder donated. Additionally, there were 46 generous offers of agistment.”

Victorian Farmers Federation president said David Jochinke the federation is extremely grateful for the fodder so generously donated by farmers across the region.

“Once again, the farming community have stepped up in a time of desperate need,” Mr Jochinke said.

“We want to thank the many tireless volunteers for their time and effort immediately after the fires, and those who continue to work during the longer recovery period.

“Thank you also to Agriculture Victoria for their partnership. We want to continue to build a strong relationship so we can both effectively and efficiently respond to future challenges.”

For information about support and assistance go to – www.agriculturevictoria.com.au/recovery

Sources: Agriculture Victoria, VFF.