The most recent figures from the Queensland Department of Primary Industries suggest over 144,000 livestock, mostly cattle, sheep and goats, have been killed by floods.
The most recent figures from the Queensland Department of Primary Industries suggest over 144,000 livestock, mostly cattle, sheep and goats, have been killed by floods.
Farmers in Queensland, Australia have suffered huge losses after floods engulfed over half a million square kilometres of the outback, causing carnage to farms and livestock.

The most recent figures from the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI) suggest over 144,000 livestock, mostly cattle, sheep and goats, have been killed by the floods which were the result of heavy rains across the State.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, some towns had recorded as much as 500mm (20 inches) of rain in the space of a week, which is the typical yearly total for the region.

The devastating floods come a few weeks after Cyclone Alfred did its damage, hitting Queensland's southeast coast and northern New South Wales.

As the floodwaters ease, more realistic figures of the true extent of the damage are likely to increase significantly as more dead livestock are revealed. It is also estimated that 3,183kms of fencing has been impacted, along with 4,076kms of private roads.


Queensland agriculture Minister Tony Perrett said: "These are only early indications of the magnitude of this disaster and while these preliminary numbers are shocking, we are expecting them to continue to climb as flood waters recede.

"It's heartbreaking to consider what western Queenslanders will be going through over the weeks and months as they discover the full extent of losses and damage, and start the long slog to start again."

Helicopters were used by the Queensland Fire Service to drop bales of hay onto dry areas with nearby livestock.

Farmers in other regions of Queensland unaffected by the disaster gathered donations of fodder to send to the farmers in need.

However, it seems some of these aid donations were turned away by authorities as 'they were not required,' much to the surprise of those farmers desperately needing help.

Due to the vast regions of the flooded land being covered in a thick blanket of mud, this also caused huge problems to any rescue efforts to free cattle and sheep bogged down.

Young farmer Emily Green from Adavale recalled how the floods affected her family's cattle station.

She said: "There was no warning, no time to prepare for what happened. A storm dropped 100mm of rain in under an hour, overwhelming a creek that had already been full and forcing it to spill over its bank.

"The water rushed quickly toward the homestead, filling the floors almost instantly. The torment of remembering the stock that we couldn't protect and their final moments before succumbing to Mother Nature herself.

"She's a powerful lady, and this event has shown our nation what she is capable of," said Emily.

Sheep farmer Brendan Murray from Eromanga said he has probably lost 6,000 of his 9,000 flock of sheep.

Sheep farmer Brendan Murray from Eromanga said he has probably lost 6,000 of his flock of 9,000 sheep.
Sheep farmer Brendan Murray from Eromanga said he has probably lost 6,000 of his flock of 9,000 sheep.
He said: "I don't think there's any hope for the rest. I think they're gone."

Shane McCarthy, AgForce Queensland general president, said he had seen stock losses of up to 80 per cent in some areas.

He said: "Any stock loss is not good and we need as many as possible alive. If you've gone and lost 100 percent of your stock, that's catastrophic.

"It takes years to build back numbers, and not to mention the time and effort of genetics that you've put into your livestock," Shane said.