## King Island Farmers Face Drought Challenges, Seek Shipping Solutions
Tasmania's King Island is experiencing its driest start to the year in over a century, leaving farmers struggling with dwindling pastures for their livestock. The island's primary shipping service, the John Duigan, typically sails once a week to Devonport, but with dry conditions affecting much of Tasmania, abattoirs and feedlots are nearing capacity, limiting options for King Island producers.
The Liberal Party, during their pre-election campaign, promised to double the service to Devonport from Grassy Harbour for eight weeks. However, Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced that the government is considering an additional shipping service directly from King Island to mainland Victoria. This would bypass Tasmania and potentially reduce costs for farmers.
Farmers like Greg Morris have been advocating for a mainland service, highlighting the difficulties in getting feed onto the island and livestock off. The demand for shipping has increased significantly, with a 40% rise in cattle leaving the island in the last quarter. However, this is still insufficient to meet the current needs.
TasFarmers, the state's agricultural lobby group, has criticized the situation as a "shemozzle" and called for long-term solutions, including increased competition in shipping routes and direct services to the mainland. They believe this would provide much-needed relief to King Island farmers facing the challenges of the ongoing drought.
The situation is further complicated by strict biosecurity standards for incoming fodder and daylight-only shipping restrictions. The government is working with farmers and industry stakeholders to find solutions and alleviate the pressure on King Island's agricultural sector.