Australia-Counting the cost of the bush fires to Farmers.

AUSTRALIA-FARMERS VERY BADLY HIT BY FIRES, MANY WITH NO INSURANCE..

Minister for Agriculture, Tony Burke, says vineyards, orchards, dairy farms are likely to be among worst hit by the fires.

He’s reluctant to draw any conclusions on whether the ferocious fires are a result of climate change.

"The scientists will work through assessments on those questions," he says.

"Right now, it’s hard to get past the point that every fellow Australian is grieving and seeing how deeply other fellow Australians are grieving."

He told Rural Press this week it was hard to assess as yet the extent of damage to farm businesses, with Victorians and Australians grappling with the loss of life.

"…there’s almost a sense of guilt in people even turning their minds to that," Mr Burke said.

"The human cost is just so far beyond what anyone’s capable of comprehending that no-one’s ready to have the conversation about what it’s going to mean for the farms as a business."

Mr Burke said help from farmers from around the country has already been "extraordinary".

"That concept of farmers showing solidarity and sticking together has been extraordinary. And that’s coming unsolicited."

He said initial estimates of the extent of the damage reveal devastation to stock numbers won’t be as bad as first thought, but horticulture and major farm infrastructure has been decimated in some areas.

"Horticulture and permanent plantings look like - they’re going to take a very big hit.

"Some dairies have gone altogether.

"And a lot of the (farm) infrastructure that has gone is infrastructure that you couldn’t reasonably have insured.