The Government assistance will not extend to financial help, despite reports some farmers have lost the equivalent of $100,000 in potential income, but it will fund help cleaning up and support for individuals and families.
Minister of Agriculture David Carter, who visited Southland yesterday, said the impact on rural Southland and South Otago would be greater than the impact of this month's earthquake on rural Canterbury.
"They [farmers] are coping with an event they've never seen before. The length of the storm is worrying. They can cope with one or two days, but this has been going on for nearly a week and it is still continuing."
Tens of thousands of lambs and calves have died in the unprecedented storm, despite the efforts of farmers.
Mr Carter said he was worried about the resulting stress and mental anguish, and he urged farmers to talk to others and the Southland Rural Support Trust.
"Losses of this magnitude not only impose a huge economic cost on farmers, but also significant emotional and mental stress."
Mr Carter said in an interview the Government would be watching other parts of the South and could extend the zone boundary if the storm created havoc elsewhere.
Federated Farmers adverse events spokesman David Rose welcomed the recognition the adverse events status gave to the storm-ravaged area.
Mr Rose, who farms near Winton, estimated he had lost up to 700 lambs, potentially worth $50,000, but he had heard of others with losses double that. Some southern farmers yesterday woke to their fourth morning of fresh snow in six days and another crop of dead ewes, lambs and calves.
Balclutha vet John Smart said he had a call on Sunday night from a farmer desperate to get antibiotics to treat 50 ewes with the metabolic disease milk fever.
Mr Smart said snow meant he could not get to the farmer and the farmer could not get to Balclutha, but he was still fighting to keep the dying sheep alive, even though his chances of reaching them were remote.
Taieri dairy farmer James Adam said that since Christmas, he had faced drought, which stunted winter crop growth, in May his Otokia farm was flooded, leaving the ground saturated, and, now, he had been hit by a week of blizzards.
Grass quality had been affected and had proven inadequate to sustain dairy cows, with some of his sharemilker's cows dying.
The wet winter had exhausted winter feed supplies, but dairy farmers were helping each other by sharing any surplus.
Deputy prime minister and Clutha-Southland MP Bill English will visit the South today to offer farmers his support.
"I've done my fair share of lambings in miserable weather and I know how tough, and how it demoralising, it can be when lamb losses are high.
"I urge farmers to support each other, look out for your neighbours and try to remain positive."
A fund established to help pay for relief labour and stock feed on southern farms has received a $500,000 donation from the Alliance Group and $40,000 from Ballance Agri-Nutrients.
Alliance chief executive Grant Cuff urged other agricultural companies to contribute funds to the Federated Farmers Adverse Events Trust, saying the support was needed to help farmers get back on their feet.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients South Island sales manager Garth Dawson said southern field representatives were also offering their labour to help ease farmers' workloads.
"This might mean moving ewes to safer ground or feeding out to stock, or simply clearing snow."
THE PROVISIONS
• Labour assistance for clean-up and repairs.
• Financial assistance for struggling families and individuals.
• One-off grant to families to exit farming.
• Psychological and social support, such as counselling.
• Help with accommodation, food, clothing etc, if Civil Defence declares an emergency.
• Grants to rural support trusts.
• Technical advice to aid farm recovery.
• Appointment of agricultural recovery facilitator.
• Travel and accommodation costs for volunteers from outside region