Eyre highway closure prompts calls for more preventative measures to protect livestock

Almost a year has passed since an emergency closure of a major highway left several thousand head of livestock stranded, with farmers calling for changes to make sure the same thing does not happen again. In February of this year, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and Main Roads WA shut off the Eyre highway from Norseman due to a bushfire in Balladonia that had destroyed more than 20,000ha of the Great Western Woodlands. An estimated 160 trucks were pulled up at Caiguna, including several livestock trucks carrying sheep and cattle. Both the Livestock and Rural Transport Association of WA and individual truck drivers were left scrambling to find places to safely offload and hold livestock. Sam Starcevich, a broadacre farmer from the Salmon Gums region was one of those in the area to lend a hand, and herself, her husband and son spent a whole day prepping to take on about 1400 sheep. While Ms Starcevich did not hesitate to help, she called the Government’s emergency response to stranded livestock “dismal” and hampered by “bureaucratic red tape”. “They had nothing in place for livestock in an emergency. Nobody knew what they were doing and it basically fell onto the truck drivers and the farmers to organise something,” she said. “When you’ve got livestock sitting on a truck in 40 degrees, get them off. Get them to water, get them off the truck. You don’t have to be Einstein to work it out.” In December 2023, Salmon Gums was declared water deficient, and farmers helping out, including Ms Starcevich, had to have water carted to their properties to sustain the livestock. Despite calls from industry bodies, none of the landholders who assisted in the moving of the livestock were compensated by the Government for their time or resources. A Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development spokesperson said compensation was a “matter for the farmers involved and the owners of the livestock”. “It is the legal responsibility of the owner and transporter of livestock to ensure stock are well cared for during transit and that contingency plans are in place for any potential emergencies,” they said. “This includes monitoring environmental conditions and ensuring contingency plans are in place for all events for the duration of their journey.” Ms Starcevich also said there should be more protective measures for Eyre Highway, WA’s main transport link across the Nullarbor to the Eastern States, to ensure supply chains are not disrupted by the highway’s closure. “I think that’s the important thing to stress. It’s not just the livestock, everything that comes in and out of WA comes across that road or the railway line, so it needs to be maintained to a higher standard . . . so it doesn’t get closed again,” she said. DFES has recently completed controlled burnings along a 370km stretch of the Eyre Highway ahead of bushfire season. In response to criticisms, a DFES spokesperson said all agencies, transporters and local landowners worked “very effectively together” during the Eyre Highway’s closure. “While significant efforts are made to keep major roads open, bushfires can be volatile and drivers are asked to plan ahead and stay informed about current conditions via local radio and the Emergency WA website. “During the Balladonia bushfire in February, DFES escorted vehicles through twice daily and made special arrangements on four separate occasions to ensure livestock transporters were moved through the Eyre Highway roadblock as soon as possible.” The DFES spokesperson also referred the State Support Plan for Animal Welfare in Emergencies, which is activated when owners or carers cannot provide care to animals in an emergency situation or local arrangements are no longer effective. In this case, DPIRD is responsible for co-ordinating the provision of animal welfare services to support the owner or carer. LRTAWA vice-president Ben Sutherland said one solution to ensuring livestock did not become stranded was by constructing or maintaining holding yards nearby that can be used in the event of another highway closure. He also mentioned the industry was working on an early warning system to ensure truck drivers are made aware of highway closures as soon as possible, but said it would only work if there was “fluid and open” communication between the Government, emergency responders and the industry.