Dairy Industry Bushfire Recovery Directory

Dairy Australia is providing farmers impacted by bushfires, with one to one support with an experienced dairy consultant who can advise you on getting your business up and running again.'

What support is being offered?

Confidential advice is provided with a focus on

• Feed budgeting
• Water budgeting
• Cashflow budgeting
• Animal health and welfare

The adviser will conduct a face-to-face visit at a mutually agreed location and work with you to produce an action plan. Local Dairy Australia extension staff will follow-up to offer further support on your action plan.

Who is eligible?

All dairy farms impacted by Dec 2019 / Jan 2020 fires are eligible for this free-of-charge service.

How do I access it?

Thousands of farmers in southern Australia have been impacted by the current bushfire crisis. The Farm Hub Organisation contains details where to access information and assistance.

This page will be updated as new services become available.

https://farmhub.org.au/live-bushfire-assistance-key-contacts/

• Assessing teat burns, Dairy Australia
• Assessing bush fire burns in livestock, NSW DP
• Assessing cattle after a bushfire, AgVic
• Humane killing and disposal of sick or injured cattle, DA

The power can go out at any time due to localised issues such as a fallen tree or following a flood or bushfire.

• Preparing for power outages will help you develop a contingency plan that will save time and keep the dairy operational during a power outage
• If the power does go out, our tips for Milking through power outages will help minimise recovery efforts by keeping the farm working during a prolonged power disruption
• DairyNZ also have good advice on preparing for power outages and managing missed milkings
• Emergency Milk Disposal advice from AgVic and DairyNZ.

The following resources offer specific advice on pasture recovery for fire affected dairy farms.

• Pasture recovery after fire and quick reference guide, AgVic
• Keeping cows on the curve when changing diets, Dairy Australia
• Keeping cows on the curve through summer fact sheet, Dairy Australia
• Farm recovery after bushfire, AgVic

The following Dairy Australia resources on feedbase management and feeding systems may be relevant to farmers recovering from the impact of fires and managing risks associated with changing feed.

• Hay and grain report
• Production inputs monitor report

• Bushfires and mental health Beyond Blue
• Building emotional resilience
• Getting through floods, drought and extreme climate events Lifeline
• National Centre for farmer health support services directory - Staying healthy and well is important in good times and trying times. Drought, flood, bushfires and change in prices can be a trying time for many farmers. We have compiled this list of resources as an easy reference for you to seek the required support.

• Our page on Extreme weather includes a Recovery priority checklist to help you organise tasks immediately after a natural disaster has hit

• Cashflow Budgeting

The stock water budgeting tool helps you assess your risk of running short of stock water at key times of the year. The data is used to estimate, from the first day of each month, how many days' water supply you have available.

• Stock Water Budgeting Tool
• Stock water planning
• Drinking water access and quality
• Stock water – supply, cow access and quality video, Dairy Australia
• Private water sources in bushfire-affected areas, Farmer Health
• Practical steps for landowners: Building sediment fences, DEPI Vic

• Listen to tips on how to prepare for extreme weather, fire and flood and some simple steps you can take to protect your family, workers, animals and farm. 
• Dairy Australia’s Preparing for bushfires page provides the 'Preparing your dairy farm for fire threat' toolkit, produced in consultation with the CFA to help you plan to best protect your family, staff, livestock, dairy and machinery from all types of fire threat.
• Extreme weather has information on managing hot and dry conditions, and heat stress on farm.
• Managing in wet conditions provides information on how to manage risks following flooding
• Preparing your dairy farm for a bushfire, The Vet Group
• Bushfire Safety for workers - CFA has developed a new online bushfire safety awareness workshop for people who work in high risk bushfire areas.Initially developed for people who work in the community care sector who visit their clients or patients in homes located in high risk areas, it has been broadened to include a range of work sectors. It is structured to suit any person working in high bushfire risk areas including and not limited to those in the education, justice, health and trades sectors.

Watch the below video on 'Preparing for hot long summer'.

Dairy farms impacted by bushfires may need to temporarily relocate milking cows to an alternative farm where they can continue to be milked. This can be a short-term emergency arrangement or a longer-term business agreement.

Bega Cheese and Saputo Dairy Australia have agreed to facilitate cow parking arrangements between farms in fire-affected areas. Farmers with milking cows requiring relocation or farms able to offer cow parking for milking cows should contact these processing companies directly.

Cow parking carries a high risk of introducing mastitis bacteria and/or other animal diseases and should be avoided wherever possible. However during a crisis situation it may be the only viable option to get cows milked.

Read the Cow Parking fact sheet with information on milk quality and animal health considerations associated with cow parking (including vaccinations and traceability requirements).

If you require assistance with cow parking or can offer this service, please contact:

For offer of labour assistance, please contact and register with BlazeAid - https://blazeaid.com.au/

Ph: 0418 745 994

If you’re looking for other ways to help fire-affected farmers and their families, please visit http://farmhub.org.au/australian-bushfires-how-you-can-help/ for details on how to donate and assist.

Updates on fire conditions and road closures

For fire warning information - NSW Fires Near Me

Latest road traffic information - Live Traffic NSW

Fodder

For all fodder requests contact Local Land Services and NSW DPI via the Agriculture and Animal Services hotline T:1800 814 647

For fodder donations contact NSW Farmers T: 1300 794000

https://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/help-and-advice/emergency-and-biosecurity/bushfires

Stock Issues or Stock Loss

For all inquiries related to stock loss, contact

Local Land Services and NSW DPI via the Agriculture and Animal Services hotline

T: 1800 814 647

https://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/emergency/bushfires

Emergency stock water is also a service provided by LLS/NSW DPI (see above).

Click here for NSW Gov assistance with animal welfare issues.

DPI information for assessing fire affected livestock - (PDF)

NSW DPI ‘Natural disaster recovery assistance for primary producers’ web page has a wide range of information on bushfire recovery assistance. This page includes information on available financial support, fencing, animal health and welfare, health and wellbeing and more.

Click here for DPI recovery assistance.

Download a printable version of this page.

NSW Farmers also has a directory of bushfire recovery services on their website.

http://www.nswfarmers.org.au/NSWFA/Content/ContactUs/emergency_fire_information.aspx

Updates on fire conditions and road closures

For fire warning information - Vic Emergency website/app

Latest road traffic information - Vic Traffic

Fodder

For all fodder requests contact the Victorian Farmers Federation T: 1300 882 833

Stock Issues or Stock Loss

For all inquiries related to stock loss, contact Agriculture Victoria T: 1800 226 226

AgVic information for assessing fire affected livestock

Emergency Victoria has a ‘relief and recovery’ page dedicated to services available following 2019-20 bushfires, including information a recovery centres, available financial support, fencing, animal health and welfare, health and wellbeing and more.

Emergency Victoria ‘Relief and Recovery’

Agriculture Victoria’s ‘current incidents’ emergency recovery page also has practical advice on bushfire recovery and a long list of available support services.

Agriculture Victoria’s ‘current incidents’

The Victorian Farmers Federation is coordinating fodder relief for farmers affected by bushfires in Gippsland and the Upper Murray. The VFF has secured an agreement with the Victorian Government to facilitate the transport of fodder to affected regions. This includes reimbursement of freight costs for transport of donated fodder.

All farmers who have been impacted by these fires are strongly urged to seek help by contacting the VFF as soon as possible.

This website also lists offers of adjustment and offers to host cow parking for those interested.

https://www.vff.org.au/

Updates on fire conditions and road closures

For fire warning information - CFSA

Latest road traffic information - SAPOL

Fodder

For all fodder requests or fodder donations contact Livestock SA

T: 08 8297 229

Stock Issues or Stock Loss

For all inquiries related to stock loss, contact PIRSA 24 hour hotline T: 1800 255 556

The SA Government ‘Disaster Recovery’ web page has a wide range of information on bushfire recovery assistance. This page includes information on available financial support, fencing, animal health and welfare, health and wellbeing and more.

Click here for SA Gov disaster recovery

For information on local recovery activities associated with areas affected by fires, visit SA DHS website.

South Australian Dairy Farmers have a list of bushfire relief resources available on their website.

https://sada.asn.au/bushfire-relief-resources