Pressure is mounting on a review of the national Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) scheme with a growing number of farmers hit by flooding in Queensland and NSW deemed ineligible due to off-farm incomes.
They include regenerative farmers Nick and Brydie Holliday, who were initially rejected for flood recovery assistance because they earned more money from their second jobs than they did from their fledgling farm business.
On appeal, they had their application approved for $14,500 to repair roads and fences damaged in February's floods.
"I still can't believe it's happened," Ms Holliday said, her voice breaking as she recounted the emotional roller-coaster.
"It's so incredible and I'm so proud of Nick for fighting so hard, and for our community for getting behind us and just being there the whole time for us."
Not big enough
The couple established Belvedere Farm at Cedarton in the Sunshine Coast hinterland two years ago, working more than 100 hours a week to build a community-supported agriculture collective by selling farm eggs and supplying about 20 families their monthly pork and beef.
But to be eligible for assistance under the joint state, territory and federal DRFA scheme, primary producers have to earn at least 50 per cent of their income from their farm, or be able to satisfy administrators that their farm business would grow to meet that criteria.
"There is is really good data out there that the vast majority of Australian farms of any size, but particularly small farms, are supported by off-farm income."
The Hollidays won their appeal after submitting more information on their plans to grow big enough to supply 80 families next year.
They thanked their community supporters, who raised over $10,000 for the couple after their initial application for assistance was rejected.
The Hollidays have promised to invest it all into supplying meat and eggs to several not-for-profit support centres and groups.
A widespread problem
Farmers in disaster zones in northern NSW and south-east Queensland have faced a similar battle.
Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig confirmed that many of the region's producers who had second jobs to pay their mortgages and diversify for drought resilience had their applications rejected.
"Twenty years ago, people were either in primary production or they weren't," he said.
"Now people will run some cattle, they'll have a citrus orchard, or some macadamias and they'll work off-farm as well.
Scheme under review
The National Recovery and Resilience Agency said the DRFA scheme was currently being reviewed.
"The Commonwealth will work with the states and territories and other relevant stakeholders regarding any proposed changes to the definition."
By Monday afternoon, The Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority had received 416 applications from primary producers.
About 75 from 104 finalised applications had been approved, worth just over $1,065,000.
The NSW Rural Assistance Authority had received 1,510 applications from farmers.
Of the 451 finalised applications, 447 had been approved, with $28 million approved in-principle and $5.6 million paid up-front.
