Disgusting act deals drought-stricken farmer another cruel blow
A drought-stricken farming family have been dealt another cruel blow after much-needed hay was stolen from their property on the NSW south coast.
Wendy Carter, who is one of thousands of farmers battling Australia’s crippling drought, had managed to purchase enough hay from a Victorian supplier to last her cattle through the summer.
But when the final delivery was made to her Cambewarra property in Shoalhaven, the beef farmer noticed a large portion had been taken.
They believe the thieves must have backed up a truck to the storage shed and piled on the hay before fleeing the property.
Despite pleading for information and reporting the theft to police, the Carter family are yet to hear anything back.
“Maybe it was a matter of desperation,” Mrs Carter told ABC.
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“Maybe they didn’t want to sell their cattle or their horses and they couldn’t get it elsewhere… they thought it was an easy way to get it.”
In a bid to prevent any further thefts, her son Toby has installed a security system at the shed.
Foreign aid funding not the problem: Joyce
Barnaby Joyce has defended Australia’s foreign aid budget as drought-stricken farmers criticise the government for sending money overseas while they struggle.
The former Nationals leader called for more water infrastructure within Australia for drought, but said the government had to sign the chequebook for both struggling farmers and foreign aid.
“We need to have support of island nations around us otherwise the Chinese government will just move in there and support them, and then you’ll have another type of problem,” Mr Joyce told reporters on Friday.
The federal government has announced $12,000 in grants for each affected farming family as 100 per cent of NSW was this week declared to be impacted.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said foreign aid, which was about 0.8 per cent of the budget, was an important part of Australia’s diplomacy.
