Australian cattle survived several years of drought – but not the deadly flooding that followed
- Australia has been at the epicentre of weather extremes, having recently endured its hottest January in recorded history
What began as welcomed rain after several years of crippling drought in Australia turned into a catastrophe after record-breaking downpour flooded the northeastern coast, killing hundreds of thousands of cattle, wiping away the livelihood of many farming communities, and threatening one of the country’s vital industries.
Nearly 50 million acres of land in the state of Queensland was inundated this past week. By late last week, officials said two years worth of rain had drowned swathes of land that, not too long ago, were parched. Parts of Queensland, particularly the coastal areas, saw more than 11 inches of rain last week.
Officials estimate that more than 300,000 herd cattle were killed, though that number could rise. One producer who normally has about 70,000 cattle has found only 1,000 as of last week, officials said.
Countless carcasses, many huddled together in mud, have been discovered as water began to recede. Officials “were literally ferrying one barrel of hay at a time” to feed surviving cattle that have been isolated by floodwater, Georgie Somerset, general president of Agforce Queensland, which represents farmers, said at a news conference.
“The speed and intensity of the unfolding tragedy makes it hard to believe that it’s just a week since farmers’ elation at receiving the first decent rains in five years turned to horror at the devastating and unprecedented flood that quickly followed,” Michael Guerin, AgForce Queensland’s chief executive, said in a statement Monday.
