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Irrigation Incentives Program Alive And WellIncentives are still available to farmers in and adjacent to the Macalister Irrigation District to upgrade the efficiency of their irrigation systems. By Department of Primary Industries - 21st January 2005 - Back to News Funding has been made available this financial year under the Victorian Government's Gippsland Lakes Future Directions and Actions Plan for whole or part farm plans, to convert land from flood to spray irrigation and to install or upgrade re-use systems. Significant funding is also likely to be available next financial year.
Assistance has been available in the Macalister Irrigation District since July 2000 to help farmers to achieve greater irrigation efficiency. As well as benefiting farmers, better irrigation practices also reduce the amount of phosphorus entering the Gippsland Lakes - improving water quality and reducing the frequency and severity of algal blooms.
Since the commencement of the irrigation incentives program farmers have completed farm plans on 22,000 hectares, converted 1,300 hectares to spray irrigation and installed re-use systems on 3,000 hectares. Implementation would probably have been even greater if dry seasons and tough times had not impacted on dairy farming in recent years.
Farmers who wish to know more about the irrigation incentives program are asked to contact Ken Slee at the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) office in Maffra on 5147 0800.
It is important that this contact is made with DPI before any work is undertaken, as no retrospective funding will be available.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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