STRUGGLING farmers may be thrown a modest lifeline by the West Australian government, with the premier saying it could help out with bank financing but it won't be assuming any debt on their behalf.
WAFarmers has asked Premier Colin Barnett to commit $100 million to a low interest rate loan scheme administered through the Rural Business Development Corporation, helping an estimated 500 farm businesses.
But the Pastoralists and Graziers Association (PGA) said such schemes delayed the inevitable attrition of unviable farms.
On Wednesday, Mr Barnett said he saw farmers battling with a raft of pressures, including low rainfall and live export bans to certain markets, while visiting the Wheatbelt last week.
"They can't sell their sheep and if they can, they're getting very low prices and I've even heard reports some farmers are shooting sheep because they can't afford to feed them and keep them going," he told ABC radio.
Perhaps 10 per cent of farmers in the eastern Wheatbelt area were at risk of losing their farms, he said.
But some should not be propped up.
"It sounds a cruel and hard thing to say, but some farmers probably do need to leave.
"We will do all that we can to see that farmers can place a crop in, but it's got to be farmers who are viable."
The WA government could help but it wouldn't be assuming debt, Mr Barnett said.
"What we hope we can do is come to understanding with banks where we might be able to provide some increased bank financing, but that conversation is yet to take place.
"And I certainly don't want to raise the expectation that the state is going to take over farm debt."
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