They have faced a long series of distressing events, from drought to forest fires, and even devastating floods in recent months.
Victoria's major agricultural areas are among the hardest hit, and it is now clear that the damage sustained over the past year will unfortunately have long-term consequences.
The floods, in particular, have destroyed crops, affected livestock and damaged equipment and infrastructure; indirect impacts, however, come from road closures and power outages. Food shortages and higher prices in supermarkets, for products such as milk, eggs, fruit and vegetables, are just some of the immediate consequences. Many agricultural activities were abruptly interrupted as soils became waterlogged for days or weeks and fertile topsoil was lost due to water erosion.
After taking part in the Flood Recovery Centre to assist farmers in receiving financial support following the floods, Fruit Growers Victoria (FGV) has been engaged by Agriculture Victoria to support farmers through a very critical season. The new program will provide essential information to enable thousands of farms to return to work as soon as possible.
"It has been quite a challenging month for the growers," said Mitchell McNab, FGV chairperson.
"Normally, at this time of year we have the trees in bloom and are ready for the fruit harvest, but obviously the heavy rains have made the work difficult. In particular, stone fruit trees, such as peach trees, cannot breathe because they have been under water for too long, so a lot of trees have deteriorated and eventually died. The yield this season will be very minimal,” he says.
Fruit Growers Victoria attempts to obtain support from the state government where possible, but the most critical issue remains the “necessary cost recovery for all farmers”.
The increase in the cost of fertilisers, fuels and herbicides over the past twenty-four months has, in fact, exacerbated crop losses, increasing the financial pressure on farmers; fertiliser costs, in particular, are still high because the price of urea ― a key ingredient found in AdBlue diesel exhaust fluid ― has skyrocketed, due to a global shortage combined with competition.
The current difficulties are also compounded by the significant shortage of labour.
“The reality is that backpackers are coming back to Australia, but they are not looking for work yet because they are trying to enjoy the summer first. In addition, workers are coming and going between Victoria and New South Wales, but the floods have limited this possibility as well,” McNab added.
“I don't know if the government can do anything to prevent such situations in the future, but some support to assist disoriented workers could do a lot, such as finding alternative labour or helping us to recover exorbitant expenses.”
For Frank Scarpino, owner and manager of Altomonte Farms in Donnybrook, “recent times have been extremely frustrating.”
Since 1970, his family-run farm has produced over five hundred eggs every day, which are distributed to local delicatessens and small supermarkets. The name of the business is inspired by the small village of Altomonte, in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, where his family originated.
"Our chickens are free to roam the fields. We are adamant about keeping our egg farm free-range. But the recent floods have made the work difficult,” Scarpino said.
“We do everything manually, from collecting the eggs to cleaning, but in the last month, with the water always reaching our ankles, everything has become more complicated.”
Even the vegetable patch cultivated by Altomonte Farms was unfortunately badly neglected:
"We were not able to set it up as well as we could have because of the constant rain. The dams were overflowing, the stream was overflowing. Even the sheep were walking around in the water; it was very discouraging.”
As the problems with the floods diminish, FGV assures that it will shift its attention to other critical issues, such as the new minimum wage guarantee and workers' rights, “to make sure that everyone will have a better work experience.”
