New website launched to support farmers with major weather events

Silt and debris on an Ashburton farm after flooding in the region in June, 2021. Photo / RNZ / Nate McKinnon

RNZ

A new website aims to make it easier for farmers to prepare for and access support after a major weather event.

The Farmers' Adverse Events Trust has just launched a new website with tips on how farmers can prepare for bad weather.

Trust chair William Rolleston said the effects of climate change meant farmers were facing more severe weather events more frequently.

Preparing for severe weather events should be incorporated into farm plans, Rolleston said.

"We are likely to have more extreme weather events and there will be more droughts and floods," he said.

"Putting an emergency plan together can be as simple as just sitting down in the cold light of day and working out where the high ground is on your property.

"In some cases, it might be plainly obvious, but in other cases, it might not be, and you don't want to be thinking about that when you're really under pressure, you want to be able to think about that well ahead of time."

The website could help farmers future-proof their disaster response and act as a central site for farmers to access information, Rolleston said.

"The best thing we can do and the biggest lesson we can learn from any of the adverse events we've had is to be prepared for the next one."

The trust had fostered partnerships with major industry players including Beef + Lamb NZ, the Ministry for Primary Industries, and Federated Farmers to better respond in a severe weather event, Rolleston said.

The website should remove any confusion around communication in a severe weather event, by putting clearer channels in place, he said.

- RNZ