Central west grazier reveals torment of shooting dying cows

With tears streaming down his face, grazier Chris Walsh faced the grim task of putting down 11 cattle that weren’t strong enough to stand. In one heartbreaking day.

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A GRAZIER in the state’s central west slowly succumbing to the drought has opened up about the devastation of shooting his last surviving cattle.

With tears streaming down his face, grazier Chris Walsh, 58, from Narromine near Dubbo, described the grim task of putting down 18 cattle that weren’t strong enough to stand. In one heartbreaking day two weeks ago, Mr Walsh shot 11 cattle in nine hours.

“It’s very depressing and very horrific,” he said. “You feed ‘em and feed ‘em but eventually they just give up, lay down and you have to go and shoot them.

“The reality of it is, do you let ­­the cattle starve to death or do you put them down and give them a bit of peace?”

‘Do you let them starve or give them peace?’ Narromine farmer Chris Walsh posed for this photo to show the seriousness of the drought. Picture: Peter Lorimer.

Mr Walsh sold 260 of his 300 cattle 18 months ago and has been feeding the remainder oaten hay and nutrient lick blocks.

But despite his best efforts, Mr Walsh hasn’t been able to avoid hoisting a rifle and walking his barren land to end the suffering of some of his surviving animals when he finds them collapsed in the dirt. They are in no condition to be sold.

Narromine farmer Chris Walsh has lost too many breeding cows to the drought in the last month. Picture: Peter Lorimer

Chris Walsh ploughed his paddocks for cropping in 2015 and hasn't put a crop on since. Picture: Peter Lorimer

The fifth-generation farmer plans to sell his property and leave agriculture once his final 17 cattle are sold, shot or die. His daughters Chantelle, 18, and Kristy, 15, aren’t interested in taking over the farm, especially given its dire state.

“I want to get out and walk away from it all,” he said. “It’s not worth the financial stress and heartache that goes with it.”

As farmers yesterday waited for forecast heavy rainfall, Mr Walsh battened down and rode out the ninth dust storm in the past seven days, which turned day to night.

The drought, NSW’s worst ever, should be declared a natural disaster, according to Mr Walsh.

Narromine is among the 33.8 per cent of NSW in the worst drought category, known as “intense drought”.

The drought is gripping 99.4 per cent of NSW.

Originally published as Central west grazier reveals torment of shooting dying cows