GOVERNMENT aid was needed for hay to be delivered to Victorian farms hit by drought.
Graham Cockerell, the Lions club member behind Need for Feed doing runs into disaster-hit areas, says financial contributions were needed to help Victorian farmers.
Mr Cockerell said runs into South Australia had seen that state’s government pay transport costs.
The national rural aid charity expects to start making deliveries to south-west Victoria next month.
“Things are tough in so much of Victoria but we’re getting no government help,” said Mr Cockerell who had previously co-ordinated deliveries in Loddon districts.
“The instant infrastructure grants and counselling alone are not the answer. We would love to be in your area but at the moment it’s not possible,” he told the Loddon Herald.
According to Mr Cockerell, there would need to be “a hell of a lot of fundraising to do all of Victoria”.
“We know that two-thirds of Victoria is dry. We can’t be ev-erywhere at once and hay is also scarce,” he said.
Mr Cockerell said a 10th hay run was planned for South Australia where areas were in a third year of drought.
“Lions clubs and the public have been generous with donating funds ... help from the Victorian Government would be good.”