Wheatbelt fires: Facey Group and Corrigin Farm Improvement group to hire two fire recovery project officers

The State Government has tipped in $100,000 to enable the Facey Group and Corrigin Farm Improvement Group to hire two project officers to help farmers whose properties and livestock were razed by catastrophic bushfires last month.

Two Wheatbelt grower groups — the Wickepin-based Facey Group and the Corrigin Farm Improvement Group — will receive $50,000 each to support on-farm recovery and extension activities in areas affected by the Shackleton-Corrigin and Narrogin-Wickepin fires.

More than 65,000ha of farmland and bush was destroyed by two separate blazes early in February, causing significant damage to infrastructure, soils, pastures and livestock within the Shires of Bruce Rock, Corrigin, Quairading, Narrogin and Wickepin.

There was significant damage to infrastructure, soils, pastures and livestock, with an estimated 10,000 head of livestock killed in the fires or euthanised in the days that followed.

The funding, provided through Wheatbelt Development Commission and Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, will support the appointment of project officers to co-ordinate recovery efforts across affected Wheatbelt communities.

The Facey Group and Corrigin Farm Improvement Group are playing a key role co-ordinating support for farmers and landholders affected by the bushfires, through the provision of State Government support service information, supplies and donations.

WA Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan, who visited the areas in the wake of the blazes, said the State Government was committed to ensuring these bushfire-affected communities received the critical support they need.

“We commend the proactive work of the Facey and Corrigin Farm Improvement Groups to support affected communities,” she said. “Grower groups are integral to providing much needed assistance and support in the bushfire recovery period,

“These bushfires have had a devastating impact on these local communities, who will continue to feel the effects for months to come.”