Record temperatures as high as 34° at Swan Hill, together with strong winds have destroyed cropping areas across the Mallee, Wimmera and North East and put an end to farmers' hopes of a recovery from drought this year.

Northern irrigation districts remain on historically low September allocations of between zero and 6pc.

In the South, Bacchus Marsh and Werribee systems have a 3pc allocation.

The Commonwealth Government has already acknowledged the continuation of the drought in Victoria by rolling over Exceptional Circumstances (EC) declarations in the North of the State last month and reinstating the majority of the Central and East Gippsland declarations yesterday.

VFF President Simon Ramsay said that a commitment from the State Government to reinstate drought support programmes would be critical for farm businesses and rural communities.

"The long hoped for recovery has not arrived and farmers are looking for direction on the support that will enable them to plan for the survival of their farms and businesses over the difficult summer ahead," Mr Ramsay said.

"A combination of high temperatures and close to no rainfall has meant that hundreds of farmers have now reached the point of no return.

"Low irrigation allocations will make it increasingly difficult for the Victorian horticulture and dairy industries to continue production over the summer months.

"Horticulturists with permanent plantings in the north-west are not only suffering from drought they have missed the increase in commodity prices other sectors have seen and are arguably the industry most at risk."