THE Southern Downs is entering a "golden age for agriculture", according to Maranoa MP Bruce Scott.

Mr Scott described the release of the long-awaited Federal Government's agriculture white paper on Saturday as "a great opportunity for agriculture" in the region.

The white paper is expected to pump millions of dollars into the agricultural industry on the Southern Downs and includes a range of incentives for struggling farmers.

Among the big ticket items is $500 million for water infrastructure, as part of a National Water Infrastructure Fund.

Fifty million dollars of that funding will go towards planning investments in dams, but state governments would have to contribute most of the remaining $450 million for actual projects.

Mr Scott said the $50 million will be used to rake-up all the information and work done on the dams over the years.

"It will bring together all the elements of these dams," he said.

"We could identify other players and beneficiaries that could see these dams built."

While funding isn't guaranteed for the Emu Swamp Dam project, Mr Scott said it was among a number of dams marked down as a priority.

"It's like many other dams - the idea's been around for 20 years," he said.

"There's obviously a way to go yet - there's certainly a lot of competition in Commonwealth dams."

Producers will also be given the opportunity to take advantage of a 100% tax write-off for replacing water infrastructure.

"A lot of water infrastructure is growing old," Mr Scott said.

Throughout the white paper there is also a particular focus on financial assistance for farmers doing it tough, with a number of measures including loans and tax breaks for producers.

Mr Scott identified a number of other items of interest for agriculture in the region, including $10.8 million to help organis

ations in setting up agricultural co-operatives and $250 million worth of agricultural loans of up to 11 years.