Dairy Farmers Victoria (DFV) has voiced “profound disappointment” at the drought package offered by the Victorian government.

While acknowledging measures such as rate rebates and infrastructure grants are beneficial in the long term, they do not adequately tackle the urgent cash flow crises currently faced by many dairy farm businesses according to DFV. Escalating operational costs, driven by soaring prices for feed, water, and energy, are severely limiting farmers’ ability to retain essential staff, service existing loans, and simply maintain milk production.