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NC Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
A drought has been declared in Taranaki.
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified drought conditions in Taranaki as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging situation facing farmers and growers in the region.
Some in Taranaki have described the conditions as a one-in-fifty-year event.
"Conditions on the ground are becoming extremely difficult, with limited feed and pasture available," McClay said on Thursday
"Taranaki is experiencing hot, dry conditions and below average rainfall. This has affected pasture growth and farmers have had to feed-out or sell livestock earlier to fill the gap."
The government is making $30,000 available to rural support groups who were working closely with farmers on the ground in Taranaki.
Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson said the weather conditions are challenging.
"The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has been working with sector groups, regional bodies, and farmers to provide extra support. This has included attending farmer meetings in southern and coastal Taranaki to discuss options for getting through and proving practical tips," Patterson said.
"This classification unlocks further support for farmers and growers, including tax relief, and it enables the Ministry of Social Development to consider Rural Assistance Payments."
Farmers and growers who require support are encouraged to contact their local Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254.
Local vet Stephen Hopkinson sits on the Taranaki Rural Co-ordination Group which is working with the region's Rural Support Trust to help farmers.
This week he said those in the south of the region near Hāwera and Manaia are facing "desperate conditions".
"It's unusual for Taranaki, we get dry summers and we've had the odd minor drought declaration in the past but this would be one of the worst ones.
Psychological toll of the brown paddock - Federated Farmers
The drought declaration came as a relief to Taranaki's Federated Farmers president Leedom Gibbs who said "desperate" farmers had described it as the driest in more than 50 years.
"We've got farmers that have been in the area for a really long time, that are comparing it to the drought we had in the 1970s, which was the worst drought that had been seen here for a really long time," Gibbs said.
"It's really tough out there for farmers, it's hard work. People are doing it really, really tough."
She said ongoing dry conditions with very little rain - particularly hotspots around Manaia, Hāwera and Kakaramea - were taking a toll on the region's farmers both mentally and financially.
"We've got this huge psychological toll of the brown paddock, like when you look out across your farm and it's brown when you'd like to see a green ridge of feed in front of you. And that is just so hard on the farmer, like on your mind," she said.
"Dairy herds are being dried off early and all stock that's not needed for next year has already gone to the works."
She said water tables were very low, which meant wells and bores had dried up.
"And then you've got this huge financial strain of less money coming in and way more money going out in the form of buying in feed, and for some farmers buying in truckloads of water as well."
Drought impacts could be like a slow-moving landslide where early action was better than later, Gibbs said.
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