SOUTH Australian Dairyfarmers Association president David Basham welcomes the Federal Government's announcement but says delivery of the funds is a matter of urgency because many dairyfarmers are in dire need of support.
"It must be implemented very quickly so those that really need it can get access to it to take advantage of the opportunities coming up of increased dairy prices worldwide," he said.
He says PIRSA, which is responsible for the delivery of the program in SA, should replicate the framework of states such as Queensland which already have concessional loans in place to make the funds available quickly.
He says farming should be supported by state and federal governments. Queensland's concessional loan packages for farmers were long standing.
"It is important and not very expensive for the government to do," Mr Basham said. "All they are doing is acting as brokers and borrowing money and passing it along at that rate to farmers. Governments can borrow money at a much cheaper rate than individual farmers."
Mr Basham says there has been a long-term decline in the number of dairyfarmers since the 1970s with about 5 per cent leaving the industry each year.
*Full report in Stock Journal, May 2 issue, 2013.
