NSW farmers have welcomed the provision of additional grants of $25,000 available to help producers in the flood-affected north of the state.
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Primary producers were already eligible for $75,000 grants, but some smaller farmers missed out because of earning an off-farm income.
On Friday, during a visit to Ballina in northern NSW, Federal Emergency Management Minister Bridget McKenzie announced "the fourth tranche" of funding which she said is a combination of state and federal money.
Rural landholder grants of up to $25,000 will be available to producers who earn less than 51 per cent of their income off property.
The grant includes funding the removal of debris and deceased livestock, maintenance of livestock health, and repairing or replacing fencing, with a total of $35 million available.
"The smaller landholder package ... recognises that not everybody is getting 100 per cent of their income off their property," Ms McKenzie said.
Asked why the grant did not match the $75,000 available to other producers she said "it's the disaster recovery assistance process", and that the response is being adapted as issues arise.
A total of $150 million will be used to assist primary producers to protect supply chains, and boost recovery and rebuilding efforts.
Ms McKenzie said the money will go towards helping industries like the oyster sector to get back on its feet, with grants to help pay for water-quality testing.
Chief executive of NSW Farmers Pete Arkle welcomed the announcement.
He said while primary producers were eligible for $75,000 grants, previously those smaller farmers only qualified for payouts of $10,000 despite also having to deal with loss of stock and infrastructure.
"There are still many hundreds of kilometres of fencing to fix, dams to dredge and water sources to decontaminate, but this boost will help meet some of those immediate expenses," Mr Arkle said.
"We are also very thankful for the role of the defence force in the clean-up, as there is just so much work still left to do."
Co-ordinator-general of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency Shane Stone said on Friday he expects his agency to still be working in the area for the next three to five years.
Australian Associated Press
