Persistently warm and dry conditions have prompted authorities to bring forward the start of the bush fire season in some parts of New South Wales, leading to concern some cropping regions may be under early threat from fires.
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The Bush Fire Danger Period normally runs from October 1 to March 31, however the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) announced recently that ten local government areas in the state’s north-east will require fire permits earlier this season.
Impacted shires include Armidale, the Clarence Valley, Glen Innes Severn, Kyogle, Richmond Valley, Tenterfield, Lismore, Uralla, Walcha and Inverell.
The NSW RFS attended over 525 bush or grass fires in July alone, compared to 276 for the same period in 2017, bringing into focus the importance of protecting valuable farmland during the current warm, dry weather.
This is given further impetus by the Bureau of Meteorology’s outlook for August through October which shows signs of a drier than average spring for much of Eastern Australia.
Beyond general hazard reduction activities, crop insurance is an often overlooked way of managing the risk fire poses to farms and crops.
Achmea Australia CEO Emma Thomas said she encouraged all growers to contact their local Risk Specialist to discuss the various risk management strategies available to them.
“The threat to farmland and crops posed by lightning and dry storms increases in tough seasons,” Ms Thomas said.
“With parts of the state forecast to continue experiencing drier and warmer than average conditions, the importance of fire protection as we move into the spring and summer storm season is clear.
“The NSW RFS estimates that during summer 2016-17, crop and header fires destroyed about 40 headers in NSW totalling about $30 million in losses in addition to the impact of lost crops.
Achmea Australia’s Winter Crop Insurance offers cover for firefighting expenses and fire extinguishing losses as well as crop loss and is a simple and affordable risk management option available to growers today.” For more information or to get a quote, visit www.achmea.com.au, email info@achmea.com.au or phone your local Risk Specialist at 1800 724 214.
