Farmers are at breaking point

However, last week it was the meeting spot for almost 300 farmers and agricultural industry representatives to discuss how they could be better supported in worsening dry conditions.

The number of people who packed the local town hall - and the fact some travelled hundreds of kilometres in early hours of the morning to attend - spoke volumes as to just how widespread the issue is.

Yornup cattle producer Michael Campbell organised the "drought crisis meeting" with Catterick dairy farmer Tony Pratico, after concerns in the local community started mounting.

The South West region is normally classed as a high rainfall area, but in the past six months many areas have been desperate for a drink.

It is not the conditions now that have livestock producers most concerned - it is what could come in the wet and cold winter months.

"The meeting was held to gather information and data to take to government and help highlight the crisis that is looming," Mr Campbell said.

"We also wanted to show other farmers (who are finding it tough) across the State that while every situation may not be the same, they are not alone."

One of the biggest concerns raised by farmers was the short supply and soaring cost of livestock feed.

They also spoke about challenges with low returns, lack of confidence across the agricultural sector, the Labor government's proposed live sheep export ban and trouble turning livestock off, with limited access to market.

"The number of attendees shows how critical these issues are and we hope we can keep the momentum going forward," Mr Campbell said.

"Main discussion points will be handed onto WA Government and its Dry Season Taskforce, but we need them to act quickly."

Emotions ran high when the floor was open for discussion, with farmers calling on the government to consider increasing the number of Qatar Airways flights for chilled meat exports, introducing a freight subsidy and moratorium on the export of hay out of WA and resuming a rural water grant scheme.

"It is up to the will of Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis in terms of what she will allow the Dry (Season) Taskforce to do," Mr Campbell said.

"A follow-up on what came out of the meeting starts with immediate freight subsidies to help with costs of transporting livestock, feed and water."

He added that proposals, like re-introducing the water grant scheme, may take more time.

"Those grants were in place to help producers build new dams and clean out old ones," Mr Campbell said.

"If dams have already been built or cleaned out, the grant cannot be claimed.

"The rules and requirements need to be broadened to include all areas and the current situation we are in."

Boyup Brook sheep producer Hugo Bombara

Mr Bombara and his wife Marianne are first-generation Merino sheep farmers at Boyup Brook.

The couple purchased the first of what would become six ex-blue gum plantation investment blocks in 2017.

They spent five years transforming the country into productive farmland, clearing three million blue gum stumps, heavily investing in machinery, fencing and a six-stand shearing shed, and building sheep numbers to 17,000-head including lambs.

Since July last year, the couple has sold 2500-head and of 1700 mature wethers expected to be sold in January, they are still carrying 900 onfarm.

Mr Bombara said he was carrying a large number of sheep onfarm that could not be sold including 480 cull ewes, 1600 ewes and 900 younger wethers.

"We have 1500 lambs in confinement feeding to get them to a marketable weight," Mr Bombara said.

"We also have 8000 ewes suitable for joining, of which we have only joined 3000-head.

"We would cull 20pc or 1600-head of those ewes, but we can't sell them and similarly we have 900 younger wethers looking for a market."

At the meeting last Wednesday, Mr Bombara described the sheep market as being "well and truly broken".

He said this was a result of the Federal government announcing its commitment to end live export of sheep by sea.

"It is one thing to look after sheep that you are supposed to have onfarm at this time of year, but it is another to look after sheep that should have already been turned off," Mr Bombara said.

"A massive ewe liquidation has occurred, with farmers selling down stock or leaving the sheep industry altogether.

"The abattoirs have become full, and to this day, the producers that stick in sheep are now stuck with sheep."

With increased pressure on farm storage of feed and farm finances, Mr Bombara called on the WA Labor government to immediately introduce a freight subsidy.

He said this would help farmers access Eastern States' markets and processors.

"The extremely dry start means we are feeding sheep that should have been sold to abattoirs or sent on live export ships," Mr Bombara said.

"These animals must leave our farms immediately and be processed or sold in the Eastern States."

WAFarmers president and Pingelly producer John Hassell

Mr Hassell said South West farmers were challenged with the ability to conserve fodder because of the season's short cut off last year.

He said this also created a situation where dams weren't as full as they should have been leading to a water shortage.

"The challenge now is, what the hell does industry do with its sheep?," Mr Hassell said.

"If you are in the Wheatbelt you could spend $5/head to send your sheep to Midland or Katanning saleyards on a truck and $5/head for yarding, only to sell your sheep for 50 cents.

"If you don't get a bid then you have to spend $25 to turn them off.

"We are in an almost impossible situation and that flows on into the cattle industry as well."

Mr Hassell said current conditions demonstrated the important role live export played in providing market alternatives.

He said the Federal government's decision to phase-out the trade had resulted in lack of future confidence and, as such, people looking to offload large numbers of sheep.

To help ease oversupply pressures, he urged the Federal government to consider increasing flights with Qatar Airways out of Perth for export purposes.

"The decision to block Qatar Airways from expanding its services means 15,000 carcases are not exported out of WA every week," Mr Hassell said.

"Policy positions of the government have made this situation worse than what it ever was before.

"In WA, live export is our pressure relief valve."

Mr Hassell said work needed to be done to find out exactly where the industry is at in terms of who has livestock onfarm that would normally be turned off this time of year and who has not joined.

He said this would be a good starting point to help the newly-formed State government Dry Season Taskforce.

WA Meat Marketing Co-operative (WAMMCO) director and Manjimup producer Brad Ipsen

WAMMCO is fully booked out with shareholder stock until June and is processing about 85-88 per cent lamb.

At the meeting, Mr Ipsen recognised there was a large number of stock in the market waiting to be put through the Katanning plant.

He said, while double shifts sound "good in theory" there were licences and strict protocols WAMMCO had to adhere to as a tier one abattoir.

A tier one abattoir processes meat, which can be exported to a 'restricted' number of predetermined international countries.

"While we now have enough staff, sourcing workers in a rural town like Katanning has proven difficult," Mr Ipsen said.

"We are running at maximum capacity and are well above where we were at this time last year in terms of kill.

"This means we have record daily throughputs, which is great.

"Our staff have made this possible, with the support of the executive team - it is like a jigsaw puzzle, where you need all the pieces to make it work."

Mr Ipsen said the co-operative would continue to support its shareholders by making the plant more efficient and boosting production.

This is through the introduction of new technology combined with the addition of new freezer and cold chain capacity.

Technology includes a new processing chain, which will run parallel to the current chain in the old beef slaughter floor.

The 500 to 600-head per hour chain has the potential to increase throughput by 2500 to 3000-head per day.

It would have the capability to process heavier rams and heavy mutton, which the co-operative has struggled to put through in the past.

Mr Ipsen expected the processing chain to be operational by the end of 2025.

Monterey stud Angus & Murray Grey stud principal Gary Buller, Karridale

Mr Buller is a stud cattle breeder at Karridale and has recorded just 3mm of rain since the start of October, however, he said others in the lower rainfall zones had received even less.

"We can look through rose-coloured glasses or we can stump up and deal with the facts," Mr Buller said.

"A stocktake of fodder needs to be done in WA immediately, to determine whether or not there is sufficient feed available locally to help producers through.

"While the stocktake is being done I think an embargo should be put on the export of oaten hay interstate and overseas.

"The embargo doesn't need to last forever, it just needs to be in place for three months to give us time to determine what is available here.

"Our hay exporters can still send hay procured from the Eastern States while this is done."

At the moment, local stockfeed manufacturers are working hard to meet increased demand from right across WA.

However, Mr Buller said they were unable to service all of their existing clients' needs and suggested the government should look at bringing in train loads of pellets from across the border to help alleviate the pressure.

He said fodder convoys were sent over east from WA when farmers were challenged by drought, fire or floods, yet not a single bale was allowed back in.

"The government has put regulations in place where we can't bring fodder in from anywhere else," Mr Buller said.

"If we can't bring fodder in, it seems like a fool-hardy exercise to be exporting it out of the State, when there's a real need for it here."

Bridgetown cattle and grain farmer Matt Wheatley

Mr Wheatley said farmers weren't idiots and were aware of how to best drought-proof their business into the future and the importance of doing so.

He acknowledged rainfall had declined over the past five decades and there would be more weather events like currently being experienced.

"In my personal opinion, having a drought taskforce to provide us with more information on how to drought-proof our farms is a waste of money," Mr Wheatley said.

"The taskforce should instead be looking at shoring up the future of our commodity prices.

"People have been talking about buying in hay, water and cleaning up dams, but to be honest I can't afford to do that."

Mr Wheatley is currently receiving $1.50 per kilogram liveweight for heifers and $3/kg (lwt) for steers.

He said, in the current climate, these returns barely cover costs.

"(I would urge the drought taskforce) to look into commodity prices so we can get away from the $1.50/kg lwt type prices," he said.

"I think it is really important that - as a minimum - we get back up to that $5-6/kg lwt mark we were receiving 18 months ago.

"That way we will have the financial tools to be able to drought-proof our properties, buy in and plant more hay and carry less stock, because we are making enough money per hectare."