With thousands of hectares of farmland coated with silt across much of the Upper North Island, there are concerns about how farmers are going to be able to feed their animals.
Even before Cyclone Gabrielle the rural sector was under pressure, thanks to dry conditions in Otago and Southland, and a poor maize crop in parts of the North Island due to earlier bad weather.
Federated Farmers has restarted its national Feed Coordination Service to help with the recovery.
Photo: 123rf
