{"id":22256,"date":"2013-01-30T17:03:27","date_gmt":"2013-01-30T07:03:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=22256"},"modified":"2020-09-30T13:07:23","modified_gmt":"2020-09-30T03:07:23","slug":"support-available-for-primaryproducers-and-small-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2013\/01\/30\/support-available-for-primaryproducers-and-small-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Support Available For Primary
Producers and Small Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"John<\/a>
Queensland Agriculture Minister
John McVeigh<\/figcaption><\/figure>January 30, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

A range of State Government supports, including concessional loans and freight subsidies, are now available for producers and small business operators impacted by the floods.<\/p>\n

Agriculture Minister John McVeigh said he and Small Business Minister Jann Stuckey had asked Police Minister Jack Dempsey to urgently activate Category B disaster assistance, and this had happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder Category B, concessional loans and freight subsidies for primary producers, and concessional loans for small business are available,\u201d Mr McVeigh said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am maintaining constant contact with farmers, agricultural industry bodies and local governments to discuss the impacts of the current flooding and the range of support that is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Category B assistance is now available to 21 local government including Gympie, North Burnett, Somerset, South Burnett and Toowoomba regional councils.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will also be looking at Category C, which includes standard recovery and exceptional circumstances grants for the worst-affected Shires,\u201d Mr McVeigh said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have asked industry to provide me with as much detail as possible about which sectors have been hit hardest and where.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will allow my department to make a comprehensive application to the federal government for funding under the National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA).<\/p>\n

\u201cProducers outside these Shires who have suffered serious damage can apply for an Individual Disaster Stricken Property (IDSP) declaration.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the meantime, flood-hit farmers and rural businesses should contact their local government disaster management group for immediate support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr McVeigh said the first meeting of the Agricultural Control Group had already provided an initial summary of the damage caused by flooding and winds over the past few days.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a sobering picture,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo industry has escaped unscathed with reports of significant infrastructure damage, crop and stock losses, power outages and communication and transport problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to overstate the scale of the recovery ahead of us but our farmers and fishers and small businesses have really taken a hammering from Rockhampton right down the coast to the south-east corner.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile industry conducts its assessments in the affected local government areas, my department is keeping an eye on any emerging animal welfare issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will work closely with producers and transport authorities to find solutions to animal welfare issues and reactivate supply chains.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the current damage and disruption, some crops will still be salvageable and many producers can still supply good quality produce to local and interstate markets.<\/p>\n

\u201cNor should we overlook the benefits that many other producers outside the immediate impact area will derive from the good rainfall.<\/p>\n

\u201cRest assured, I will be doing everything within my power to secure support and funding from the Commonwealth and other agencies to help our agricultural industries clean up in the short term and resume normal operations in the longer term.\u201d<\/p>\n