A new report has estimated that recent cyclones in New Zealand could cost sheep and beef farmers in the country between NZ$367-422 million.
Beef and Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) has worked with a range of group to calculate the direct on-farm impact on sheep and beef farmers of Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle, along with severe flooding in Auckland earlier this year.
The company said that the report will inform the New Zealand government of what further supports are needed by farmers as they try “to get back on their feet quickly”.
Cyclones
B+LNZ chief executive Sam McIvor said the extreme weather events in January and February on the North Island “will have a significant impact on farming businesses and communities for a number of years”.
“Those impacts are unlikely to be easily identified in industry-level statistics. That’s why it was so important for us to quantify the impacts and inform the government.
“As New Zealand’s biggest manufacturing sector and second largest goods exporter, a bedrock for rural communities and a major employer, a rapid recovery of these sheep and beef businesses is vital as it impacts all New Zealanders and the economy.”
McIvor said that farmers appreciated the financial assistance made available by the government but it is clear that “considerably more financial investment” is needed.
The vast majority of the damage has been to on-farm infrastructure including fences; tracks; accessways; dams; culverts and bridges.
“Where infrastructure damage is significant, the impacts can be varied and both short and long-term. Farmers had to deal with immediate concerns such as livestock welfare but are also facing ongoing implications around land management and financial stability.
“It’s important that farmers have some certainty so they can manage through the coming months and beyond,” McIvor said.
B+LNZ estimates that 1,200 farms on the country’s North Island were impacted by the extreme weather events and suffered damage.