mag
6-5-2005, 08:38 pm
A lot of eastern state farmers now have a difficult decision to make – do they keep stock and hope that the rains come in time or do they reduce stock numbers now before a flush of livestock places the current market under pressure and they are forced to sell stock in a depressed market.
Another possibility exists in that the livexport of sheep could be placed in jeopardy if stock numbers are too low to fill the boats making it uneconomical to actually call into the usual ports on the eastern seaboard to load.
With these dry conditions Victoria's Goulburn Valley and southern parts of NSW may again experience more outbreaks of anthrax like those in 1997 when anthrax infected 83 farms in the Goulburn Valley and killed 202 head of cattle with the result that 1000's of head of cattle were vaccinated from 600 properties in the district.
(source ABC Rural http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/stories/s539233.htm)
Of course if wide spread rains do occur – then things begin to get a lot more rosy for all concerned.
Another possibility exists in that the livexport of sheep could be placed in jeopardy if stock numbers are too low to fill the boats making it uneconomical to actually call into the usual ports on the eastern seaboard to load.
With these dry conditions Victoria's Goulburn Valley and southern parts of NSW may again experience more outbreaks of anthrax like those in 1997 when anthrax infected 83 farms in the Goulburn Valley and killed 202 head of cattle with the result that 1000's of head of cattle were vaccinated from 600 properties in the district.
(source ABC Rural http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/stories/s539233.htm)
Of course if wide spread rains do occur – then things begin to get a lot more rosy for all concerned.