Farmers in Hawke's Bay say their problems with drought are becoming desperate, especially in the central and southern parts of the district.
Not only is there little grass available in the paddocks, but there are too many animals competing for what IS growing in the last few days of warm weather before winter arrives Normally, farmers would respond by offloading stock to the works.
But social distancing rules mean workers on the processing chain are spread out, reducing throughput by up to 50 percent, and making the backlog of animals worse.
The Minister of Agriculture Damien O'Connor insists the Government is aware of this and is trying to help.
Is the Government doing enough?
Hawke's Bay Federated Farmers president Jim Galloway speaks to Kim Hill.
