20 January 2026. Shane McCarthy, AgForce General President.
As the floodwaters slowly subside across our state’s north west, the true scale of the financial and emotional cost is becoming painfully clear.
As a beef producer from this region, it’s heartbreaking to hear the stories coming in — of stock losses in areas that were only just beginning to recover from the 2019 floods. These are tough, resilient people. You have to be in an industry where drought, fire and flood are constant threats. But everyone has a breaking point, and for some producers, that point has now been reached.
Graziers live and breathe their country and their cattle. To lose stock — whether swept away, drowned, or put down by their own hand — leaves a deep emotional toll that can’t be measured in numbers alone.
This disaster is different to 2019. The affected area is narrower, but the floodwaters are deeper, and early reports suggest stock losses are just as bad, if not worse. While towns like Cloncurry and Richmond have been impacted, the devastation north of Julia Creek, where rivers converge into the Gulf, is severe. Some producers are reporting losses of 90 per cent or more of their herds.
Losses like that wipe out not only this year’s income, but next year’s as well. I’ve spoken to producers who were finally returning to full production after 2019, only to now face the same devastation again. For family businesses, that’s catastrophic.
The government’s early response, including $75,000 grants, is a welcome and critical first step. Similar support in 2019 proved vital, because that money goes straight back into local communities — often circulating several times over. For small towns like Richmond and Julia Creek, that support keeps communities alive.
We commend both State and Federal governments for stepping in early, but further assistance will be essential. Infrastructure support, concessional loans and restocking grants will be critical to getting these businesses back on their feet, and AgForce will continue to lobby hard for them.
While floodwaters are beginning to recede, access remains difficult and the full extent of losses won’t be known for weeks or months. We will also work with the Bureau of Meteorology and other agencies following reports of failed river gauges, which may have limited warning for some producers.
If you want to help, I urge you to support affected families through organisations like Rural Aid. The resilience of these big-hearted people can only stretch so far without support.
Because every family needs a farmer.