The Northern Territory’s food shortage crisis has crippled businesses over the last week, with residents posting footage of empty supermarket shelves on social media, pleading for help.

The Territory has been soaked, with flooding forcing road closures and the destruction of parts of the Trans-Australian railway, dubbed the nation’s “umbilical cord”, stretching supplies.

“The rainfall received in the area was a 1 in 100 / 200-year event,” Anthony Meere, the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) General Manager said at the time.

It has become so devastating in South Australia the Defence Force has been called in to fly supplies to Coober Pedy, which has been cut off since last week.

Simple essential items including milk and meat were included in 20 tonnes of essentials that were flown out by the RAF on Monday — the first of four.

#Australia

https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/flooding-causes-food-shortages-with-mcdonalds-restaurant-running-out-of-fries-shelves-bare/news-story/0cef83618cb7fddac6cdfa8dbf8b2608

Aussie Farmer warns farming is becoming economically unviable (as was the plan!), with costs of inputs rising beyond what can be recouped. Farmers are forced to sell off their farms, often to the very technocrats themselves who have perpetrated this:

#Australia #WarOnFarms

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2022-02-03/pinata-farm-questions-farm-viability/100799344

Australia: pork supply set to plunge as Japanese encephalitis detected across piggeries

Experts say Japanese encephalitis will impact pork supply as infected piggeries experience production losses of up to 80 per cent. There are now 30 New South Wales piggeries affected by the mosquito-borne virus and 11 people have been infected, with three deaths nationwide.

"It's also the mental health impact on the people, because there's been a lot of stillborn or abortions or abnormalities in piglets … which can be very stressful seeing … day in, day out."

The disease has no impact on the safety of consuming pork, but Dr Britton said production losses were likely to affect availability.

"I think it will affect the supply of pork, because it has impacted a number of the bigger properties as well as some of the smaller ones," she said.

#Australia #Pork

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/japanese-encephalitis-detected-in-30-nsw-piggeries-pork-supply-set-to-plunge/ar-AAWowb1

Foot-and-mouth disease detected in Indonesia; Australian livestock sector on alert

Going after cows next ? Because animals are dirty and dangerous and pandemic ridden…

#WarOnMeat #PostAnimalEconomy #Australia

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2022-05-06/foot-and-mouth-detected-in-indonesia-cattle-council/101045720

Farmers left heartbroken as Queensland floods ruin crops

Shoppers warned the price of fresh fruit and vegetables will rise after latest rain event

Farmers who risked planting after the February deluge lost entire crops and face financial ruin after the second deluge.

Lockyer Valley’s mayor, Tanya Milligan, said crops were rotting in the ground and 90% of insurance claims have been rejected.

“A lot of those farmers were hoping and depending on that (insurance payout),” Milligan said.

“We will have farmers that have no intention to replant. You have people that have just lost absolutely everything and they will be wondering is it all worth it?

#Australia - #GrandSolarMinimum precipitative extremes

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/16/is-it-all-worth-it-farmers-left-heartbroken-as-queensland-floods-ruin-crops

More on #SupplyChain so broken that nations can't export their wheat — here Australia (see above, South Africa, also):

Australia's record wheat harvest is no fix for the global food crisis
Logistical challenges hold back exports as concerns grow over next year's crop

Clogged ports and soaring fertilizer costs are impeding Australia's bid to boost exports of its bumper wheat harvest, worsening a global food crisis

#Australia #wheat

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Markets/Commodities/Australia-s-record-wheat-harvest-is-no-fix-for-the-global-food-crisis

New rules will effectively shut down U-Pick farms in NSW Australia — read more here and sign the petition if you are in the area:

“They currently have a proposal underway to deciminate all the Pick your own farms in NSW and want to put unrealistic limitations on the number of visitors per day that attend these farms. The current proposal they have is to only allow 50 people per day to attend the farms and a maximum of 10 days per year that these farms are allowed to open for PYO.”

#WarOnFarms #Australia

https://www.change.org/p/save-pick-your-own-farms

Australia: Food processors warn gas crisis may shut them down and see food prices rise further

#Australia #EnergyCrisis

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-09/food-processors-warn-gas-crisis-could-shut-them-down/101138228

AUS: Fruit and vegetable costs to skyrocket in coming weeks

Aussies are being warned the price of all fruit and vegetables will spike in coming weeks as farmers face labor shortages and growing production costs.

Tyson Cattle, from the national industry representative AusVeg, told Today the issues were critical and "impacting grower confidence to plant more crops".

"They're unable to access the pickers and packers needed to actually get crops off the ground and onto supermarket shelves," Tyson told Today.

#Australia

https://9now.nine.com.au/today/fruit-and-vegetable-costs-to-skyrocket-in-coming-weeks-labor-shortages-cripple-industry/b6476c3a-1fcc-4d89-93a9-e579f802474a

BEE LOCKDOWN: Australian authorities destroy bees, ‘lock down’ transport to stop varroa mite infestation.

Everyone knows bees are critical and KILLING THEM is a terrible way to “solve” a parasite problem.

(I have had good luck planting mints near my hives — just as menthol is used as a treatment! — I bet the folks in @iaf_bees have more ideas too…)

#Australia #bees

https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/nsw-bees-sent-into-lockdown-to-stop-deadly-varroa-mite/news-story/2107fec79b991c5666dbc6b96b3f97b6