Farmers Demand Long-Term Disaster Plan

Queensland’s peak agriculture body— the Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) and its members Cotton Australia, Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers (QFVG), and Canegrowers—are calling on the Queensland and Australian Governments to take a long-term approach to support the agriculture sector.

With two significant weather events already hitting Queensland this year and a possible third on its way, climate resilience, preparedness and response are front and centre with Queensland’s farmers who are once again facing devastating losses, including damage to crops, infrastructure, and essential farm resources.

As the sector works to recover, industry leaders are urging the government to review and enhance long-term disaster recovery measures to ensure farm businesses can rebuild quickly and build resilience against future events.

QFF CEO Jo Sheppard said urgent changes to disaster recovery support frameworks are needed to enable farms to build their capacity to prepare for natural disasters and also to return to full operation after an event with minimal disruption.

“Queensland is Australia’s most disaster-prone state and extreme weather events are unfortunately no stranger to our farmers and regional communities. Farmers have done an incredible job in proactively building their resilience and managing risk, but they need targeted, long-term support to recover quickly and prepare for future events. We need to ensure preparedness and response frameworks reflect the realities of modern farming and the weather risks that challenge the agriculture sector,” Ms Sheppard said.

“The cost of recovery is rising, and disaster funding needs to keep pace. We have seen some really positive announcements and reforms from the Queensland and Federal government which have been sincerely welcomed by industry, however further measures are needed so that we can be more effective in the way in which we support Queensland farmers to recover and prepare for future weather events."

Canegrowers CEO Dan Galligan said the State and Federal governments’ announcement earlier this month to increase disaster recovery funding for primary producers to $75,000 was a step in the right direction.

“We are grateful for both the Federal and Queensland governments’ recognition of the scale of the challenge faced by farmers when it comes to recovery efforts following a natural disaster,” Mr Galligan said.

“This increase reflects the increasing costs of recovery for growers who have been hit hard by recent flooding and will take years to bounce back. This month’s weather events have particularly impacted sugarcane growers at Rocky Point who have had their cane paddocks inundated and who are now playing the waiting game while they wait for flood waters to recede.

“We also welcome recent updates to disaster funding regulations, which formalise new rules allowing growers to use recovery grants for replanting lost crops – a long-standing gap in Queensland’s disaster recovery framework.

“Both of these are crucial steps forward, however there is still a need for a longer-term approach to disaster and recovery funding, with further on-the-ground resources needed.

“For the sugarcane industry, this includes updating the definition of a primary producer to reflect modern farm structures, including those with off-farm income, indexing grants to match rising recovery costs, improving workforce support to help businesses retain staff during recovery periods and establishing a dedicated pool of rural recovery officers embedded within industry groups to expedite recovery efforts.”

Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers (QFVG) CEO Rachel Chambers has called for urgent improvements in disaster response and recovery for the horticulture sector following recent extreme weather events.

“Horticulture faces a variety of challenges in disasters—damage impacts can differ widely due to factors such as farm infrastructure, crop types, and workforce structures. The impact on operations can also depend on the size and scale of the business, and in many cases, assessing crop impact particularly in the case of tree crops, can take months or even years,” Ms Chambers said.

“Given that availability of food has once again shown to be at risk in these events, QFVG is calling on behalf of the entire horticultural supply chain for a more resilient transport network along with urging policymakers to ensure that support for growers is timely and fit for purpose.”

Cotton Australia General Manager Michael Murray stressed the need for improved risk management strategies for farmers.

“We need to introduce preparedness grant funding for all natural disasters, similar to existing drought assistance, and remove the 9 per cent stamp duty on crop and parametric insurance to encourage independent risk management,” Mr Murray said.

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