Australia: Farmer shoots starving cattle

A CATTLEMAN has started shooting his stock to save his animals from starving to death.

NT Chamber of Commerce chief executive Chris Young said the farmer was not able to afford to feed or water his cattle which were stranded on his property after the month-long ban of live cattle exports to Indonesia.

Although the ban has been lifted, cattlemen across the Northern Territory are still waiting for their animals to board ships to Indonesia, while even major agricultural companies such as Elders and Wellards have not been able to obtain export permits to send cattle to abattoirs in Indonesia.

Only last week the Northern Cattlemen's Association's Luke Bowen said he was "very frightened" about what the future would hold for the industry.

The Northern Territory Chamber of Commerce has now confirmed what many cattlemen had predicted in the past week - one farmer had to start shooting his animals.

"It was a situation where he had mustered his cattle and they were in a holding pen on his property (when the live export ban was put in place), but he couldn't ship them," Chris Young, Chamber of Commerce, said.

"So he had more cattle than he knew what to do with.

"He couldn't pay the fuel bill to pump the water to them or feed them so he felt like he had no choice as he was not going to let them starve to death."

Mr Young said he had been made aware of a number of farmers who were under the supervision of worried friends.

"There are a number of them being watched by their neighbours," he said.

Two weeks ago Donna Fraser from the Katherine Women's Crisis Centre had warned about the aftermath of the live export ban.

"We've seen suicide rates go up when times were tough.

"And the pressure that has been put on cattlemen and their families because of the ban can become too much for them to handle."

 

http://www.katherinetimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/farmer-shoots-starving-cattle/2235697.aspx