Northern Victorian irrigators have until 4pm Friday the 13th of September to register their interest in the latest round of Farm Water Program funding.
Northern Victorian irrigators have until 4pm Friday the 13th of September to register their interest in the latest round of Farm Water Program funding.
On the 13th of August the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments announced the $100 million Victorian Farm Modernisation Project to be delivered via the Farm Water Program in three rounds between 2013 and 2019.
The Farm Water Program is a consortium of Northern Victorian agencies that includes North Central and North East CMAs, GMW, DEPI, Murray Dairy, Dairy Australia and Northern Victorian Irrigators, and is led by the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (CMA).
The Farm Water Program helps irrigators achieve farm water savings by funding upgrades to farm irrigation systems. The water savings are shared between farmers and the environment.
Goulburn Broken CMA CEO Chris Norman said irrigators must register their interest for this first round of funding, worth $30 million, by phoning the Farm Water Program hotline on 5820 1147.
"Irrigators who are keen to carry out farm improvements and obtain funding available through this program must register with the Goulburn Broken CMA," he said.
"The first step is to meet all eligibility criteria, which have changed slightly from previous rounds."
During registration irrigators will be asked to provide their G-MW outlet and property number. Irrigators will also need to provide an electronic copy of a current Whole Farm Plan showing the proposed works.
The full eligibility criteria, as well as Frequently Asked Questions, can be found on the Farm Water Program link on the Goulburn Broken CMA website www.gbcma.vic.gov.au
Mr Norman said the 13th of August announcement of the $100 million Victorian Farm Modernisation Project funding for the Farm Water Program was from a different pool of funds to the Commonwealth Government's On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program (OFIEP).
"Irrigators who registered their interest with the Farm Water Program when we applied unsuccessfully for Round 3 OFIEP funding last year will receive a letter outlining what they need to do to if they would like to register their interest for this new source of funding," Mr Norman said.
"However, it is very important that all irrigators interested in this latest round of Farm Water Program funding carefully check their eligibility, particularly in regards to their Whole Farm Plan, their Goulburn Murray Water Connections status, and the amount of water that has to be transferred. In previous rounds irrigators had to transfer at least 50 per cent of their water savings to the Commonwealth Environmental Holder. This round a minimum of 55 per cent needs to be transferred."
NOTE: For media-related enquiries, contact Fiona Lloyd on 0407 875 376 or fional@gbcma.vic.gov.au