Flood conditions in far north Queensland have not brought relief to farmers in the southwest who suffered under record heat and the driest January ever.
Drovers and graziers across the Goondiwindi region are really feeling the pinch with recent conditions having deteriorated to the point where even the local stock route network can no longer support further grazing.
Goondiwindi Regional Council Mayor, Graeme Scheu, said feed and water levels across the region’s stock routes were depleted.
“The state of feed in the region is as bad as we’ve seen it and, unfortunately, the stock routes are no different.”
Natural Resource Management Officer, Bec Morrissy, said, “The last few drovers we’ve had on the routes are leaving the region now – even they are struggling to find enough feed or water to move stock through safely.”
She added even if good rain came now the chance of the stock routes recovering in time to grow good feed before winter was low.
Council’s rural services team would continue to assess stock route applications as they came in, but permits would not be approved where there was insufficient pasture or water.
The Mayor said unfortunately many neighbouring regions and further west were in the same boat.
He emphasised the importance of stock owners planning alternative options for rather than relying on the stock routes – in the region or elsewhere – as an emergency option, because the feed was simply not there.
