Farmers in the Australian state of Victoria are facing catastrophic consequences from the January fires, which resulted in losses of over 40,000 head of livestock. The area of burned agricultural land exceeded 110,000 hectares. This data was published by local news sources, citing information from the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF).
The financial losses incurred by farmers are estimated to be over 20 million Australian dollars, according to federation information.
The greatest damage was inflicted on sheep farmers: preliminary estimates indicate that around 32,000 sheep perished as a result of these fires.
The total number of dead animals reached 41,336, including poultry, cattle, goats, and horses. The fires also destroyed agricultural machinery, barns, significant areas of fencing and pastures. Additionally, horticultural crops and pine forests were affected.
Brett Hosking, president of the VFF, emphasized that a complete assessment of the damage has not yet been completed. “It will likely take a significant amount of time before we can get a real picture of the scale of the losses,” he noted.
Moreover, the fires continue to rage in several areas of the state, making access to the affected farms difficult and complicating the process of assessing the damage.
