A Congupna CWA branch is hoping to get the support of its state body for a petition calling on the government to give relief to farmers paying for water they won't get.

The branch had eight volunteer members collecting signatures for the petition at a Shepparton supermarket on Thursday last week.

By late morning they had several hundred signatures, and hope to gain more before asking their state council to take the petition to Victorian Parliament.

Branch vice-president Mimma Crifo said the petition asked that Victorian irrigators pay only for water received under the allocation and not for their full entitlement, which they have not received.

"We think it is a grave injustice to have to pay for something you are not getting," Mrs Crifo said.

Asked how the irrigation system would be maintained without payment by irrigators, Mrs Crifo said farmers had been paying for the system for years.

"We started the petition among our members, but we thought we should offer it to farmers and other people by going to the supermarket," she said.

"We got a good response. Most farmers have said: `This is not right.'

So far they have about 1000 signatures.

Mrs Crifo said the branch might spend another day at a shopping centre collecting signatures before the petition was taken to state level.

Anyone wanting to sign the petition can phone 5828 6295 or 0407 097 092.