Bushfire Industry Recovery Package
The $140 million Bushfire Industry Recovery Package (BIRP) has provided funding to support targeted primary industries impacted by the 2019/20 bushfires to rebuild, recover and regrow.
The NSW Government’s Bushfire Industry Recovery Package (BIRP) was established in April 2020 to provide immediate financial assistance and support to targeted primary industries that were significantly impacted by the 2019/20 bushfires.
Economic analysis, bushfire recovery plans and local consultation identified six critical industries for targeted support.
Targeted industries:
- forestry
- dairy
- apiculture
- horticulture
- viticulture
- aquaculture
These industries were recognised as key drivers for economic activity and critical to support the broader economic and social recovery for bushfire affected regions.
Up to $140 million in BIRP funding has been invested to support the immediate, medium and long term recovery of regional NSW’s primary industries through:
- BIRP Supply Chain Support Grants – funded by the NSW Government, with forestry storage and haulage activities co-funded by the Australian and NSW governments.
- BIRP Sector Development Grants – co-funded by the Australian and NSW governments as part of the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery (BLER) Package.
BIRP Supply Chain Support Grants
The NSW Government has provided 492 Supply Chain Support Grants totalling $66 million as direct financial assistance to businesses recovering from devastating losses due to the fires. This assistance will in turn also help the broader, related supporting industries remain viable.
Table A - BIRP Supply Chain Support Grants
| Industry | Total number of projects | Total approved funding |
| Apiculture | 68 | $1,088,092 |
| Aquaculture | 158 | $2,932,116 |
| Dairy | 73 | $11,874,013 |
| Forestry | 49 | $26,466,167 |
| Horticulture | 74 | $22,786,738 |
| Viticulture | 70 | $1,509,935 |
| Total | 492 | $66,657,061 |
Applications for Supply Chain Support Grants are now closed.
Guidelines and eligibility
- BIRP Supply Chain Support Grants Guidelines (PDF 4.53MB) are available.
BIRP Sector Development Grants
The BIRP Sector Development Grants were designed to support projects that increase value-added production, support supply-chain efficiencies, product diversification and market expansion in the six targeted industries.
In total, over $73 million has been committed to 52 Sector Development Grants, 50 of which are co-funded with the Australian Government and delivered under the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery (BLER) Package.
| Industry | Total number of projects | Total approved funding |
| Apiculture | 5 | $3,144,098 |
| Aquaculture | 9 | $2,901,637 |
| Dairy | 3 | $8,170,000 |
| Forestry | 16 | $41,895,852 |
| Horticulture | 9 | $13,528,320 |
| Viticulture | 8 | $2,672.050 |
| Total | 50 | $72,311,957 |
Two viticulture industry recovery projects are funded entirely by the NSW Government.
| Industry | Total number of projects | Total approved funding |
|---|---|---|
| Viticulture | 2 | $846,522 |
| Total | 2 | $846,522 |
Guidelines and eligibility
- BIRP Sector Development Guidelines (PDF 7.27MB) are available.
Frequently asked questions
The forestry, dairy, apiculture, horticulture, viticulture and aquaculture sectors were identified as the most critical sectors to support economic recovery in fire-affected regions.
The Department of Regional NSW carried out a review of the Regional Economic Development Strategies (REDS) for 22 Functional Economic Regions (FERs) most affected by the 2019-20 bushfires to identify economic impacts, how strategic priorities in each REDS had been affected, and key levers and focus areas for economic recovery.
This resulted in 22 REDS Bushfire Addenda for bushfire affected FERs, with revised priorities for economic recovery and development. The Bushfire Addenda were developed in consultation with local communities, industries and government to reflect local needs.
Regional Economic Development Strategies - Bushfire Addenda.
This package is co-funded (50-50) by the Australian and NSW governments and provides financial assistance to forestry businesses impacted by the bushfires from 31 August 2019 to assist with the cost of burnt timber storage, haulage of burnt timber from out of area forests, nursery expansion and measures to improve soil stabilisation, road construction and groundcover recovery in fire impacted Private Native Forests (PNF).
Applications for storage, nursery expansion and soil stabilisation, road construction and groundcover recovery in fire impacted PNF closed 12 June 2020.
Applications for haulage activities under the Supply Chain Support Forestry Grant closed 19 May 2021. The submission of claims for haulage activities has been extended from 19 June 2021 until 17 June 2022 for existing recipients of the grants.
The BIRP was developed in April 2020 in response to economic analysis of bushfire impacts and feedback from bushfire affected communities. The BIRP was deliberately designed to facilitate the immediate, medium and long-term rebuilding of the industries most impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires.
In May 2020, the Commonwealth Government announced the national Local Economic Recovery funding, which led to the Sector Development Grants under BIRP being incorporated into and co-funded under the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Package (BLER).
Resources
- BIRP Supply Chain Support Grants Guidelines (PDF 4.53MB) (PDF, 4.53 MB)
- Fact sheet: BIRP Supply Chain Support Forestry Grant (PDF, 126KB)
- Fact sheet: BIRP Supply Chain Support Dairy Grant (PDF, 114KB)
- Fact sheet: BIRP Supply Chain Support Apiculture Grant (PDF, 104KB)
- Fact sheet: BIRP Supply Chain Support Horticulture Grant (PDF, 111KB)
- Fact sheet: BIRP Supply Chain Support Viticulture Grant (PDF, 110KB)
- Fact sheet: BIRP Supply Chain Support Aquaculture Grant (PDF, 103KB)
- BIRP Sector Development Guidelines (PDF 7.27MB)
Additional bushfire help
Other bushfire support measures have been put in place by the Australian and NSW Governments.
For a full list of all available bushfire support, visit Service NSW or call 13 77 88.