Farmers are being forced to take desperate measures just to keep their livestock alive – as Australia is hit with one of the worst droughts in decades.
Drover Justin Hourigan and his wife, Bec, are moving 900 cattle on the stock route between Boggabri and Manilla, in north-west New South Wales, and are finding it almost impossible to provide water.
The latest data from the NSW Department of Primary Industries shows 99.8 per cent of the state is affected by drought – from ‘slightly affected’ to ‘intense’.
Drover Justin Hourigan (pictured) and his wife Bec are forced to spend over $100 per day on 34,000 litres of water for cattle
The severity of the drought means the droving couple must spend more than $100 each day to purchase 34,000 litres of water for their cattle.
The droving couple have been on the road for 12 months – and must contact local councils to buy water.
99.8 per cent of New South Wales is affected by drought
Justin and Bec are contracted to move the cattle and feel that it is their obligation to look after them, yet the drought is adding more work to their already rigorous day.
‘It’s another added job that you’re chasing water all the time, just to keep things going,’ Bec told Daily Mail Australia.
The 34,000 litres last the cattle one day, but Bec says that once the weather begins to warm up, it’s going to start costing more.
Justin and Bec will have to look into buying two tanks a day for the cattle.
‘Water’s short now, so if the rain isn’t coming then we will have to be looking at buying more water,’ Bec said.
‘It’s just another added expense.’
When there is sufficient rain, the couple are able to replenish the cattle’s thirst at dams and with groundwater.
Recent data from the NSW Department of Primary Industries state that 99.8 per cent of the state is affected by drought, ranging from slightly affected to intense drought
Yet as winter has been dry, Bec says that there’s a lot of pressure put on groundwater bores and windmills.
As being a drover requires constant travelling, this extra chore of having to source water, adds a lot of time to the couple’s day.
‘Depending where we are, because we’re moving between 5 to 10 kilometres a day, it’s not just a quick dash down the street to grab the water,’ she said.
The couple have been on the road for twelve months, and depending on where they’re situated, have to contact the local council and buy water
‘We can be travelling anything from 5km to 35km to fill up the truck with water.’
The droving couple has been on the road for twelve months, and has never seen the drought this bad.
The upcoming weather charts don’t provide much hope for farmers across the state, as drier and warmer weather is predicted for eastern Australia.