VFF president Peter Tuohey said Victorian Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh needed to step in and help farmers source fodder for hungry herds.

“As we said early last month – many farmers have got little or no fodder in reserve and are battling to find good quality feed," Mr Tuohey said. "While we’ve had rain, the cold has slowed pasture growth."

“This is why we’ve established a register, so these farmers can source fodder. But more needs to be done.

“There are farmers whose cattle are in light condition and they’ve run out of credit. So we need to find solutions for them and their livestock."

Mr Tuohey said farmers were doing all they could to get their herds through tough times.

He called for urgent measures including:

- Emergency funding for livestock producers to source fodder

- Additional rural financial counsellors for the south-west.

- The Department of Environment and Primary Industries to fund feed test services

The VFF is also urging anyone with spare fodder to lodge it on a website register at www.vff.org.au

United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president Kerry Callow of Macarthur said fodder was urgently needed to fill a feed shortfall, following one of the driest nine month spells in the state’s history.

That prolonged dry has forced farmers to feed out early, draining their on-farm reserves.