The emergency package announced yesterday includes help many had been crying out for, such as freight subsidies for livestock water and feed, and waivers on Local Land Services rates.

Applications for the new support options will open on Monday, but some farmers say they haven’t even been able to clear the hurdles for the first lot of measures that opened in mid-June.

Willow Tree cattle producer Therese McIntyre said she would certainly apply for the freight subsidies of 50 per cent on the transport of fodder and water for stock; or to get stock to agistment, slaughter or sale. 

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“I think it will make a difference … but I don’t know how hard it’s going to be to get,” she said.

“I hope to God they’re going to make it easy.”

Mrs McIntyre said she was sceptical after having started to apply for one of the interest-free loans in the government’s initial package.

Some of the hurdles, she said, were having to spend the money first, supply invoices, have completed her latest tax return – and all with limitations on how the money could be spent.

“When I read what I had to do and what the restrictions were, I thought: ‘Forget it’, she said.

Fellow grazier, Piallamore’s Barry Pratten, said he’d contacted a rural financial counsellor for help with an application for support, and had found it “frustrating; too restrictive” to qualify.

However, he said the new measures were “all helpful”.

“It ticks a few boxes for us because we didn’t want to borrow money and this will give us a bit more finance to move ahead, I suppose,” he said.

“If we can source any hay at all now, at least we know the freight is going to be cheaper than it was before.

“It’s all about giving us a bit more time [until it rains].”

Ashford sheep meat and wool producer Lorrayne Riggs said she’d been talking with a family member and they were “both going to look into” the new measures.

She said they were certainly an improvement on the loans included in the earlier package, which the state government released in mid-June.

“We haven’t applied for anything as yet: the thought of entering into more debt at this time is ludicrous to me when we can’t keep up with what we have … It will depend if it is means-tested, et cetera, but we’re definitely keen to look.”

The new measures came just days after Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall – appearing to break ranks with Nationals colleagues – called for freight subsidies to be reintroduced and for government charges, including Local Lands Services rates, to be reduced or suspended.

The subsidies will be capped at $20,000 per farm business and will be backdated to January 1.

Mr Marshall said yesterday he was “thrilled and relieved in equal parts” that the government had acted “to provide a tangible and accessible lifeline for farmers”.

Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson said he believed the package would be “absolutely welcomed”.

“The government always said they would reassess the assistance and support measures that were on offer,” he said.

“We called last week for that to happen, given that this drought has gone on a lot longer than people had thought. I’m really pleased to see that the government has listened to the concerns, particularly from farmers in our area.”

The three major elements of the emergency drought relief package are:

The package also includes funding for:

The new measures bring the total state government support package to more than $1 billion announced in the space of two months.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the government had “listened to farmers throughout NSW who have told me they urgently need help” with 99 per cent of the state now in drought.

“We have already committed $584 million in drought support, most of which is focused on preparation for drought conditions. However, conditions are now so dire that further support is needed to address the more immediate needs for farmers and their communities until the drought breaks.”

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW, John Barilaro, said the drought had quickly worsened across the state in the past two months.

“We said we would constantly reassess the conditions and relief measures, and the fact we’ve now increased our drought relief package to over $1 billion is a reflection of how serious this drought is, and how much we value the health and wellbeing of our farming and regional communities,” Mr Barilaro said.

“Importantly, we have backdated this relief measure to the start of the year when the drought intensified, especially in the Upper Hunter and Western NSW. 

“This means eligible farmers who made the decision to destock earlier this year will still benefit from this new relief package.”

The drought has been described as a “perfect storm”.

It has been one of the driest periods on record, meaning failed or never-planted crops for livestock feed, as well as severe shortages of dam and household water.

Dwindling local supplies of fodder have been forcing farmers to freight it in from interstate, with transport fees generally at least doubling the cost.

The government is putting $190 million into the drought transport subsidies.

Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair said the government was committed to “standing side by side with farmers during the worsening drought”.

“We know many families are also having to bring in water for domestic use, which is why we have also set aside additional funding for this essential service.

“The package we have has to be fair, it has to be equitable and it has to be able to be adapted to all types of farming businesses right across NSW.”