Wellington Shire Council has an ongoing commitment to support drought affected farmers across our municipality.

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Drought Support Initiative

As part of Wellington Shire Council's ongoing commitment to support drought affected farmers across our municipality, Council allocated $1 million from the 2019/20 Council budget for direct financial support.

Seeking advice from our Agriculture Industry Reference Group, Rural Financial Counselling Service and other stakeholders, Council resolved to use this funding to offer a one-off $700 pre-loaded Mastercard for eligible farmers.

Eligible farmers received these funds, with the initiative expiring on 31 October 2019.

In addition to this initiative, Council will continue to provide its 20% discount farming rate compared to the general rate, defer increases to yard due fees at the Gippsland Regional Livestock Exchange for a further 12 months and waive fees for roadside grazing permits.

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Other Support Alternatives

Council, along with other levels of Government, currently offer a range of grant and support programs for drought impacted primary producers. Further information is available on the links below.

• Agriculture Victoria - Dry Seasons Support
• Wellington Shire Community Events Grants (Up to $2,000 is available for Events which support drought impacted families - Contact Council for further details)
• The Small Business Mentoring Service has been engaged by the Victorian Government to facilitate a Business Assistance Program within the Wellington Shire and East Gippsland Shire Councils. The program consists of one on one mentoring sessions (up to five sessions), mentoring clinics and standalone workshops dealing with recovery strategies for business affected by severe conditions. Use Voucher Code: DSCI5 when booking on their website.
• Rural Finance On-Farm Drought Resilience Grant Program
• Rural Financial Counselling Service - Client Care Hub