Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred: ‘Significant damage’ to horticultural crops

Farmers in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales are assessing the damage in the wake of ex-tropical cyclone Alfred.

Farmers in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales are assessing the damage in the wake of ex-tropical cyclone Alfred, with early indications showing significant losses to horticultural crops.

But with heavy rainfall and strong winds only dissipating on Monday, many farmers are still in the process of inspecting their properties.

Chief executive of the state’s farmer lobby group AgForce Queensland, Mike Guerin, said the Lockyer Valley was most as risk due to severe flood warnings.

“The end result was moderate, but it’s still too early to tell what the outcomes are. There was a lot more rain than we expected, what it will mean for fresh vegetables and fruit is still being finalised.”

The town of Laidley has suffered severe inundation from Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

At the weekend The Insurance Council of Australia declared an “insurance catastrophe” for the southeast Queensland and northern NSW regions impacted by the ex-tropical cyclone and subsequent storms since Friday.

The storm system has since been categorised as a tropical low and was felt most across the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Hervey Bay and NSW’s Northern Rivers, but the declaration covers all claims related to the event.

Rainfall exceeded 400mm across affected areas, with many rain gauges recording more than 1m.

National Farmers’ Federation Horticulture Council chair Jolyon Burnett said farmers were well prepared to weather the storm with many having endured catastrophic flooding in 2022.

“In terms of the impact, it has been significant across most industries but we still don’t know the extent of it. This is the first day people are able to get out and assess the damage,” he said on Tuesday.

“Most of horticulture has been hit, all the annual crops have been washed away or are so wet they’re unharvestable, so a lot of loss of row crops and vegetables here.”

NSW Farmers far north coast branch chair Craig Huf said farmers were relieved major rivers didn’t breach their levees, with damage mostly confined to broken fences and fallen trees, “probably a weeks’ clean-up”.

He said the region’s main livestock carrier worked around the clock shifting cattle to higher ground to avoid any stock losses.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the immediate threat of severe thunderstorms has passed but flood warnings remain due to the threat of isolated heavy rain.