Feed concerns as drought lingers in western Riverina in NSW

DROUGHT has tightened its grip on the western Riverina.

Croidon at Hay on April 1, 2015.

DROUGHT has tightened its grip on the western Riverina.

The Bureau of Meteorology says areas east of Hay in NSW have entered a one in 50-year drought, with the rest of the region in a one in 20-year drought.

Average rainfall should be about 368mm but just 184mm was recorded in Hay last year and 246mm in 2013.

Stations have been ­destocking since winter rain failed to eventuate last year.

“The region is probably back to core stock, probably even lower than that,” said Danny Byrnes, who owns ­Eulalie Station, 20km west of Hay.

“There would be very few who aren’t hand-feeding (stock) now.

“I’ve been here since 1963 and I’ve never seen it as bad — it’s just bare dirt at home.”

Mr Byrnes, who also works as a rural resilience officer with the NSW Department of Primary Industries at Hay, said the situation was putting a lot of strain on people, both financially and personally.

“We’ve had 10 years of drought, came out of it for two and then gone straight back into as bad as it ever was in the millennium drought,” he said.

“Financial hardship places a lot of stress on people and is a real player in mental health.

“I think people are holding up OK but that’s not to say it’s not tough — really tough.”

Drought takes hold in Hay

Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Blair Trewin said the Hay region was falling under the influence of the same weather pattern that was causing dry conditions in the north and western parts of Victoria.

Dr Trewin said the Riverina and northwest of Victoria had a 70-80 per cent chance of above-average rainfall in the next three months, with next month looking the most likely time for significant rain in the Hay region.

He said the seasonal outlook was not unlike that for the same period last year, when good rain fell in autumn but was followed up with a dry winter.

Mr Byrnes said much of the Hay community was feeling the impact of the drought.

“Everyone’s worried,” he said.

“We’re a rural town and we are very reliant on the farming dollar, and at the moment it’s not happening.

“If we don’t get a break in the next month or five or six weeks we’re going to be going into winter with no feed, and that’s frightening.”