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With each North Queensland dairy farmer to receive ten 500-metre rolls of fence wire, the donation will go towards the repair of more than 400 kilometres of external and 800 kilometres of internal damaged fencing.
Dairy Farmers Chairman Ian Langdon said the challenges facing the Co-operative’s farmers in Far North Queensland provided a poignant reminder of the reality of working on the land and their experiences warranted support.
“I’m pleased to be able to announce through CGP a practical initiative such as the donation of fencing wire, which, in turn, will help ease some of the burden being felt by our farmers in the region,” Mr Langdon said.
Having travelled to Far North Queensland to inspect the damage first-hand with Dairy Farmers Milk Co-operative Chairman, Ian Zandstra, Mr Langdon said local dairy farmers had worked tirelessly for the past two and a half weeks to help ensure their farms were operational again as quickly as possible.
“Our farmers’ first priority was to resume milking, which they all did within days of the cyclone hitting. They then began the arduous task of removing fallen trees from fencing in both approach and exit laneways around their dairies,” Mr Langdon said.
“But millions of tonnes of timber have fallen on fences throughout farms, which means the clean up operation remains one of the biggest tasks ahead. This donation will make the world of difference to our farmers.”
The fencing grant is on top of the $200,000 contribution Dairy Farmers’ made to farmers through payments for milk regardless of whether it was collected or not in the days following the cyclone.
Sydney-based company White Wires, a former supplier to Dairy Farmers’ Rural Stores, provided the high quality, Australian-made wire at a significantly discounted rate to show its support to affected farmers.
QRX Transport has offered to deliver the materials free-of-charge to Cairns by the end of this week, where it will be picked up and divided among Dairy Farmers 95 suppliers in the Atherton Tablelands.
