Jim Galloway doubts it will ever be known how many animals died during Cyclone Gabrielle. As the adrenaline runs out, the Hawkes Bay Federated Farmers president told political editor Jo Moir farmers are starting to hit the wall.
Exactly how many animals died when Cyclone Gabrielle hit the East Coast will never be known but rough estimates on the rumour mill have it at about 40,000.
Jim Galloway farms in Raukawa, southwest of Hastings, and counts himself as one of the lucky ones having escaped any damage on his property.
Instead, he’s concentrating on making sure farmers in the region have all the support they need to clean up and start again.
“People are starting to hit the wall now. They’ve been going on adrenaline, just hanging in there.
“The initial rush is over now and they’re stepping back and starting to get a little flat as it all sets in,” Galloway told Newsroom from his home on Tuesday.
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So many animals were lost because of the extreme flooding brought to the region by Cyclone Gabrielle.
Galloway says while some farmers lost a few sheep or horses here and there, he had heard stories of others losing “substantial” numbers.
One farmer had 60 cattle drown.
“My message to farmers is if you need help don’t think someone else will be worse off and you should just get by, put your hand up and ask, because there are plenty of people ready to help." - Federated Farmers Hawkes Bay president Jim Galloway
Rural support networks are all activated and those who got away with less damage than others have rallied around neighbours to help.
“People are looking after friends and neighbours and getting them off the land even if it is just for the day, to give them a break. The thing is the job won’t get any worse for not being there for one day.
“It’s not easy to get farmers off their land though and a lot don’t recognise they’re worn down and that’s why it’s important others get them away if they notice they need it,” Galloway said.
Farmers from around the country are also keen to do their bit to help and Federated Farmers has organised a distribution system to get stock feed to the farmers who need it most.
For the most part there is adequate feed available because the East Coast has had a wetter than normal summer so where it would usually be bone-dry, grass is still growing
“The demand for feed is where there is silt all over the ground in low-lying areas, but that is a relatively small number of farms,” he said.
“The offers from around the country are appreciated though and in the next month or two the need will be there as winter starts to kick in, particularly in the high country.”
Road access is limited in some parts of Hawkes Bay and it will be months if not years before it is restored.
“That means farmers in the high country might not be able to get stock to the sale yards, which will mean they have too many on the farm when winter sets in and they’ll need feed to help get them through.”
The Government has already signalled decisions will need to be made about what roads and infrastructure won’t be rebuilt if it will only fall victim to flooding in the future.
Galloway says it’s too early on in the recovery stage for farmers to be thinking about that but it’s clear decisions will need to be made that take the next 10, 20 or even 40 years into consideration.
“Things like, will land still be good for farming or will it be better as a mixture with forestry or native planting. But if road access isn’t going to be restored then that creates problems for how you’d truck things in and out, all of this needs to be considered,” he said.
For some farmers they’ve lost 20 percent of their land to slips, and fencing and infrastructure has been demolished.
“They will look at that and see it’s a really big job and have to decide if it is worth it – that will be starting to go through peoples’ minds.”
Some farm owners still haven’t been contacted by rural support networks because they have no power or access in or out.
The priority is getting in touch with those people, Galloway told Newsroom, and making sure they have what they need to get back on their feet.
“Things are complex and getting out and talking to some farmers is challenging." - Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor
The Rural Advisory Group is in full swing and is feeding information back to local councils and ministers about what is needed in the short and long term.
Galloway said there would always be a few niggles and issues but for the most part people thought the initial support from the Government had been good, and the Prime Minister had acknowledged it is “only the start”.
There is still little information about what the full cost of the recovery will be and the immediate concern is making sure farmers in need are putting their hands up for help.
“My message to farmers is if you need help don’t think someone else will be worse off and you should just get by, put your hand up and ask, because there are plenty of people ready to help,” he said.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has been in and out of the region visiting and says everyone is “still unaware of the full impact of Cyclone Gabrielle, particularly in rural areas”.
“Things are complex and getting out and talking to some farmers is challenging,” he told Newsroom.
A feed recovery system had been set up and coordination was focused on making sure those farmers most in need were prioritised, he said.
