29 January 2008

2 minute read

Oceania

The Chairman has spoken to a number of flood affected cattle producers and their description of the damage could only be described as desperate. The cattlemen that have flown over their own properties and surrounding areas to assess the damage, tell of devastating stock losses numbering in their thousands, as floodwaters spread out, covering an estimated 2000 square miles of country.

Many producers will have lost the calf portion of their herd, as they would have been too small to cope with the height of the flood waters. An ABA member and Clermont producer David Dennis, whose family has farmed on their enterprise for 108 years, described it as the worst flood that they have ever experienced. He also said that there were dead cattle and horses caught up in fence lines and trees. The damage to farm infrastructure such as dams and fences washed away, will take many years to repair and finance.

Of immediate concern however, are large numbers of cattle stranded on small islands with little to no feed available to them. So strong have been the floodwaters that silting has covered any available grasses over much of the country affecting many more cattle.

The announcement by Anna Bligh Premier of Queensland that fodder drops to stranded cattle will begin today will allow the cattle to be kept alive and hopefully allow them enough strength to walk through boggy ground and flood waters to safety, Mr Bellinger said.

With the widespread destruction of stock, cattle yards and fencing over vast areas, the ABA calls upon the Queensland Government to suspend the costly and flawed NLIS programme. This white elephant' scheme has no financial benefits and the continued mindless enforcement of the scheme by the state Government will only seriously further hinder flood devastated producers attempts to return to profitable production from their monumental losses', Mr Bellinger stated

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