Australian grocery Woolworths has partnered with non-profit organisation Rural Aid to support Australian farmers and rural communities impacted by drought.

Aussie farmers will benefit from the A$1.5 million investment from Woolworths via Rural Aid’s Buy a Bale program.

The program aims to help farmers by delivering hay for cattle feed and providing other essential items. It will pave way to also increase the number of counsellors who are supporting the local farmers and their families, who are impacted by mental health issues due to the drought in the country.

“Our store teams in rural and regional areas, particularly in NSW and Queensland, have experienced first hand the impact the current drought is having on farming communities. Rural Aid has worked tirelessly over the past few years to help farmers impacted by the drought. Our support will allow them to focus on increasing their delivery of much needed livestock feed to farmers and other essentials as the drought continues to cause widespread impact to many communities,” Brad Banducci, Woolworths Group CEO said.

“Along with the financial commitment to Rural Aid we are also exploring ways our supply chain and logistics teams can support the organisation further. A number of our store teams are already engaged with Rural Aid at a local level and they will continue to work closely to support volunteering and further fundraising efforts for the organisation. This support will operate alongside the stores continued commitment to our other partners currently working to help regional communities.”

“The support of Woolworths will also help provide a boost to much needed mental health services to rural and regional communities via our counsellor program. Our farmers need face to face conversations, not over the phone or via sms, so having additional counsellors will allow us to build trust and respect through personal on farm visits,” said Charles Alder, CEO Rural Aid.

Source: Inside FMCG

A struggling farmer has revealed the devastating price the drought is having for hundreds of families working on the land.

Jason Maloney told Weekend Today the drought crisis was affecting farmers all across the country.

“This drought, that’s Mother Nature and we have no control over that,” he said.

Mr Maloney is one of hundreds of farmers suffering financially and mentally because of the drought. Image: 9News

However, he also said consumers opting for cheaper products at the supermarket came at the expense of farmers who were already struggling to keep themselves afloat.

 “Primary production across this country, the prices are way too low and we are seriously getting affected,” he said.

Since Mr Maloney’s story went to air thousands of Australians reached out to show their support.

“The most effective way people can support farmers like Jason is through campaigns like the buy-a-bale program we are running, because it consolidates the money which can be used to buy fodder, groceries or provide the mental health support our farmers need,” Charles Alder, the founder of Rural Aid, told Today.

He said Rural Aid  had raised almost $1 million in the past week to help farmers like Mr Maloney.

John Haycock is a third-generation farmer in Dubbo, NSW.

He told 9News his family are having to cut back on groceries and winter clothes because they are spending the money on keeping their livestock alive.

“People don’t realise how bad the drought is. NSW is virtually out of hay and we’ve got a pre-order to get grain for us and we can’t find it. It’s just being sold overseas,” he said.

Today Woolworths announced it would invest $1.5 million into the buy-a-bale program which directly helps farmers in need.

Mr Haycock said the government looked after the framers during the bad drought of 1982.

“They paid our freight and half the cost of grain. This is what got farmers through,” Mr Haycock’s daughter, Krystal wrote in a letter to NSW Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair.

Mr Alder has also suggested visiting farmers could be a great way to show your support.

“A lot of these guys and girls are really lonely,” he said.

He also encouraged shoppers to buy local as a way of better helping our farmers.

Source: 9 NEWS