Assessing cattle and sheep after fire, agistment, fodder, injured livestock, drought feeding, stock containment areas, disposal of livestock carcasses, and horses affected by fires.
Livestock
Cattle, sheep and other agricultural stock need protection from bushfires.
Plan ahead:
- Create a heavily grazed area where stock can be moved during a bushfire. This could be a grazed or green paddock or a laneway, with access to water.
- Consider having a central laneway to assist moving stock before a fire threatens.
- Identify a possible containment area where stock can be fed after a fire. In addition to containing stock, this also reduces the risk of weed spread across the property following a fire.
A fire plan for your livestock (Western Port Catchment Landcare Network)
Cattle
Assessing cattle after a bushfire (Agriculture Victoria)
Sheep
Assessing sheep after a bushfire (Agriculture Victoria)
Sheep drought feeding guide (Agriculture Victoria)
Horses
Horses and bushfire (Agriculture Victoria)
Assessing horses after bushfires (Agriculture Victoria)
Horses and livestock in emergencies (Agriculture Victoria)
Water for horses following fires (Agriculture Victoria)
Horses and bushfires (Country Fire Authority)
Disposal of livestock carcasses
Disposing of carcasses after bushfire flood or drought (Agriculture Victoria)
Stock containment areas
A stock containment area is carefully selected, fenced section of a property that is set up to periodically hold,feed and water livestock. Stock containment areas are primarily used to protect soil and pastures during adverse seasons such as droughts, and after fires.
Stock containment areas for emergencies (Agriculture Victoria)
Stock containment areas - case studies & videos (Agriculture Victoria)
Water supply in stock containment areas (Agriculture Victoria)
Managing cattle in stock containment areas (Agriculture Victoria)
Agistment
Agisting livestock affected by a bushfire (Agriculture Victoria)
Things you should know about agistment for horses (Agriculture Victoria)
Fodder
VFF emergency fodder support program
Farmers in need of fodder or agistment should call the VFF on 1300 882 833 or complete the request fodder form online to register for assistance.
Injured livestock & animal welfare assessments
Agriculture Victoria staff work with affected landholders to assess injured livestock and losses of agricultural assets and livestock. If you have any injured livestock, please report it to Agriculture Victoria by phone 1800 226 226 then selection option “0” and then “2” to speak to an operator to arrange for animal health staff to visit and assess livestock.