Making decisions and sticking to them is essential in drought management. This summer looks like it will continue to test the resilience of producers across eastern Australia. No rain and record heat have pushed most areas into another challenging drought.
In recent Rayner Reckons, I've written a lot about the importance of making plans with trigger points for action and the importance of sticking to that plan. In the last few days plenty of people have spoken to me about the plans and options ahead.
Unfortunately drought management is not easy, and hard decisions have to be made.
The worst thing is to do nothing.
Last week I was incredibly distressed to hear some producers talking about the drought, saying they had no options left but to let their animals die, as well as asking to be exempt from prosecution under animal cruelty charges if they let their stock perish.
I can never accept this argument. This drought has been developing over several months, and the producers I know and work with have been working and following their plans.
Part of the plan is to de-stock. Yes they have had to accept low prices, and often they have lost money. But that was an option which had to be taken. Some other producers have kept some stock, choosing to feed them to a certain point and then deciding on selling as the drought continues. Again they have had to take a loss. Unfortunately that was what happened, and while not wanting to accept a loss for their livestock, it was planned and was the best option for those individuals.
For the producers who haven't been been decisive and made timely decisions, time has run out. I appreciate they may have no money to feed stock. I appreciate they may have stock which cannot be transported for sale or slaughter.
For these people it is not a case of having no options. There is only one option left. Their animals cannot be left to die. The producers must humanely destroy their animals.
I reckon we have a moral obligation (as well as a legal one) to ensure the welfare of our animals. There are plenty of people wanting to question our treatment of animals exported overseas. We can't ever afford to neglect welfare and ensure our standards never fall.
Droughts are never easy. They require hard decisions and sometimes those decisions are distressing. But as managers of livestock, we can never do nothing.