Transport fund to help drought-hit farmers in Aussie state

SYDNEY, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Livestock farmers in Australia's New South Wales state hit by a widespread drought will get new funding to help them manage supplies and weather the dry conditions, authorities said on Monday.

The drought transport fund will provide livestock farmers up to 20,000 Australian dollars (15,380 U.S. dollars) each in low-interest loans to help them pay for feed freight costs and other resources, according to a statement from the state's Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair.

"We know that more than a third of the state is struggling with drought or conditions approaching drought," he said.

"Primary production is the lifeblood of the communities in these regions and when farmers are struggling, the whole community feels the impact. This additional step in our drought strategy will allow farmers to better manage core breeding stock, which will in turn enable a more rapid recovery when conditions improve."

The fund is expected to complement existing subsidies for transporting donated fodder within the state and moving stock off a property for animal welfare purposes.

New South Wales, Australia's most populous state and a major producer of the country's livestock supplies including sheep and cattle, is experiencing "serious to severe rainfall deficiencies" in many parts, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Enditem