Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie has negotiated a $7.3 million scheme to help apple, pear and cherry growers in Mayo future-proof their orchards with environmental covers.
The dollar-for-dollar scheme will allow orchardists to apply for up to $300,000 in funding to offset the cost of netting, also known as environmental covers, which can cost around $60,000 per hectare to establish.
The Mayo component is part of a $14.6 million trial program being rolled out for the South Australian horticultural industry in the Adelaide Hills, the Greater Adelaide Region and the Riverland.
“This scheme is not about providing a handout; it’s about a hand up,” Rebekha said today.
“It would provide long-term certainty and sustainability for our grower community in the Hills which has been doing it tough in the last couple of seasons with severe hailstorms causing immense destruction.
“Indeed, there is a relatively high degree of scientific certainty that South Australia will face more severe storms into the future.
Rebekha said the local community had supported hail-affected growers through initiatives such as the Hailstorm Heroes marketing campaign which encouraged consumers to buy hail marked fruit, but more needed to be done.
Susie Green, the Chief Executive of the Apple & Pear Growers Association of South Australia and the Executive Officer of the Cherry Growers Association of South Australia, said the scheme was great news for fruit growers in the Mayo.
“Environmental covers are absolutely crucial for the future sustainability of fruit production in the region, helping industry to maintain its long tradition of producing high quality fruit for Australian and key export markets,” Susie said.
“Growers cannot continue to sustain the levels of losses that they have experienced in the past few years from a range of environmental factors including birds, grey headed flying foxes, extreme heat and hail.
“This investment will support industry to rebuild and help protect more of the grower’s crops sooner than would otherwise be possible.”
Ashley Green, President Apple & Pear Growers Association of South Australia, is also supportive of the scheme.
