Farm flood damage trickling through to grocery | Australian Markets

Eye-watering costs for blueberries are set to proceed however consumers shall be largely protected elsewhere from latest widespread farm flooding.

Extensive rainfall and floods throughout northern NSW in May left 1000’s of farmers with crop and cattle losses.

About one in 4 blueberries won’t make the cabinets this season due to the floods because the out-of-season fruit’s price surges to virtually $10 a punnet in some supermarkets.

Prices had been already anticipated to be high this time of 12 months however will no longer plunge considerably as soon as harvesting season begins in September, Berries Australia govt Rachel Mackenzie instructed AAP.

“We’re not thinking at this point that there’ll be long-term impacts on the industry,” Ms Mackenzie instructed AAP.

“But certainly short-term (impacts are expected).

“Production is growing considerably yearly so a 25 per cent drop this 12 months will in all probability deliver us back to the place we had been a couple of years in the past.”

While a lack of supply is reflected in fluctuating berry prices, the impact of flooding is not expected to change the price of milk or tofu.

Dairy farmer Malcolm Holm says milk prices were already not reflective of farmers’ work.

The recent floods could force more farmers to hang up their boots as they would struggle to pay off damages, even if they recover.

“The processors, the farmers and the industry will make sure that there’s nonetheless milk on the grocery store cabinets,” Mr Holm instructed AAP.

“To some degree, that is a drawback for the industry as a result of I do not assume the patron really realises what’s really occurring behind the scenes to really get that milk onto the shelf.”

Soybean farmers in northern NSW, where 60 per cent of the nation’s industry is based, have lost the crop they had been growing for six months, Soy Australia’s Judy Plath said.

But other areas of the country have had a good season, meaning shelf prices should not change, she said.

Oyster farmers are meanwhile ruing another lost year after floods in 2022 devastated the industry.

NSW Farmers Federation president Xavier Martin said one oyster farmer had suffered about $1 million in losses from the recent deluge.

“Since the oysters take three years to mature, this was mentioned to be their first healthy crop since 2022, and now it has been washed away,” Mr Martin instructed AAP.

He urged the federal government to improve natural catastrophe grants to help farmers get back on their ft.