Roos, dogs are biggest issues in northern pastoral districts, State Government hears tour of drought-affected communities
Better management of kangaroos reaching “plague proportions” and an urgent fix for the state’s ailing dog-proof fence are vital to help people in the state’s north weather the drought, pastoralists say.
SA Business
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA Business. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Drought: Premier Steven Marshall tours state’s hardest-hit areas
- SA farmers buoyed by growing confidence, Rabobank survey finds
- Drought: Country Women’s Association steps in to help farmers
Better management of kangaroos reaching “plague proportions” and an urgent fix for the state’s ailing dog-proof fence are vital to help people in the state’s north weather the drought, pastoralists say.
They crammed into the Manna Hill Hall, seeking Premier Steven Marshall’s help to keep businesses afloat.
Grazier Paul Martin, of Kalabity Station, told Tuesday’s meeting the 100-year-old dog fence needed an urgent overhaul.
“There are places … you can put your hand straight through it and it will go to pieces,” Mr Martin said.
“The first priority is to knock it over and start again from scratch.”
Pastoralist Greg Treloar said wild dogs were “absolutely slaughtering” his sheep, and trappers had shot 127 on his property this season. He also wanted the Government to reduce the time taken to issue landowners with permits for culling kangaroos.
Meantime, Raylene Ogilvy, of Lindon Station in the state’s far north, criticised the “narrow-minded” government for not officially declaring the state in drought.
“It really ticked me off big time where all you could see was Queensland and New South Wales was in drought, when we’ve been in drought just as long,” she said.
Mr Marshall, Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Tim Whetstone and Stuart MP Dan van Holst Pellekaan had earlier toured the nearby Florina Station with owner Kym Riggs, visiting a bone-dry dam and hearing about life on the land.
“In the last 12 months, we’ve had about three lots of 15mm (of rain), spread out over the year,” Mr Riggs said in the baking heat.
“That’s why nothing is growing.”
Lambing percentages – the number of lambs produced per 100 ewes in a flock – were likely to be about 20-30 per cent this year, down from an average of about 95 per cent.
The business was also running about 13,000 sheep, compared with 18,000 two years ago.
“Our wool cut will be down probably 30 per cent this year,” Mr Riggs said.
At one stage, he estimated there were about 5000 kangaroos in a 5000 acre paddock at Florina.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a mouse plague but that’s what the kangaroos are like,” he said.
Mr Marshall said the Government had commissioned a report on the dog fence and hoped to work with the Federal Government towards a fix for the ailing structure.
“The consequences of further deterioration of that fence now would be absolutely catastrophic on the state’s economy,” Mr Marshall said.
“We can’t ignore critical infrastructure like that – there’s got to be a plan.”
Mr Whetstone said communities would receive support regardless of whether their properties were in areas declared in drought.
Natural Resources Northern and Yorke regional director Trevor Naismith said NRM boards had “a really clear understanding of the extent of the kangaroo problem”.
“Staff at the Orroroo office generally are turning (destruction) permits over within a week.
“The instruction from me is to max the numbers out.”
However, he said the state’s bigger challenge was increasing the number of kangaroos killed for meat.
michelle.etheridge@news.com.au
SA optimism shines through in latest survey
While the perils of this pandemic continued to swirl around them in states like Victoria and overseas, South Australian business owners were surprisingly feeling somewhat confident about the road ahead.
SA business confidence on the mend
SA business confidence made a comeback in the June quarter, exemplified by a Lonsdale family-owned business that employs 500 staff and has its eye firmly on the future of manufacturing in Australia.