Bushfire is an inherent threat to Victoria’s livestock industries. Preparing a livestock bushfire mitigation plan may help protect livestock assets, and reduce financial and emotional burden.

In the event of fire, a comprehensive bushfire plan that is enacted early will help to prevent stock losses and reduce risks to personal safety.

This Agriculture Note describes methods to contain and help protect livestock in the face of an approaching fire threat.

Introduction

Bushfires in Victoria are a common occurrence and can range in severity due to demographic, geographic and climatic factors. Bushfires can place a high financial and emotional cost on all Victorians.

The approach of a bushfire can be slow and insidious, or it can be fast and erratic. The behaviour of a fire can change with little warning.

It must never be assumed a property is free from the risk of bushfire. Being prepared is the key to minimizing the impacts of fire on your property and livestock.  This includes monitoring daily weather forecast and the fire danger rating (FDR). If the rating is severe, extreme or code red (catastrophic) you will need to activate your bushfire survival plan.

Property location does not necessarily relate to the impact of a fire or the severity of losses. Farms located adjacent to forest environments may be engulfed by a bushfire in a matter of hours or days; however fast moving grassfires, fuelled by dried pastures can develop and devastate in minutes or hours, and are no less destructive.

It is important to plan and be prepared early, do not wait until the threat is imminent.

Fire preparation and personal safety

It would be worthwhile visiting the CFA website for information or contacting your local CFA brigade to discuss your whole property and house fire preparation plans in advance of the fire season; to ensure you are properly prepared. Recent fires have highlighted that good preparation and early action are essential to prevent losses during fire. Your life and that of your family must be paramount.

Therefore, in all situations, fire plans for livestock, and any other animals you may own, must be comprehensive and include several options for minimising animal loss and injury; unpredictable fire behaviour could prevent or alter the implementation of your plan and adversely affect personal safety.

Remember that a key to a successful bushfire survival plan is enacting your plan early; do NOT wait until fire is imminent whenever possible.

Developing a fire plan for livestock

It is essential to have a safe, workable action plan to protect livestock that is able to be implemented quickly and safely when fire threatens.

The core of the plan should be one or more designated low risk areas into which livestock can be moved. Prior to the fire season, strategic preparation of targeted spring and summer grazing, is a simple and effective way to ensure there is are low fire risk areas on your farm.

The use of ploughed firebreaks and laneways to retard fire behaviour around the designated low risk areas will provide further protection.

Fire can jump breaks, so care must be taken in planning and constructing firebreaks to ensure they will be effective.  Trees planted along laneways have the potential to add further fuel to the fire, especially if they are native species. These trees and shrubs can actually assist the fire to spot. Care should be taken to select the appropriate trees to plant.

Decisions on when to enact the fire plan will be based on weather conditions, or the immediate threat of a burning fire in the local area. Early implementation of your fire plan will lower the risk to personal safety and to the safety of your animals.

Cattle are adept at moving to avoid fire, so may be kept in low risk paddocks with relative safety.

The mobbing instincts of sheep may prevent movement away from a fire if kept in the open, so more confined areas may be more suitable.

Every mob of animals on every property needs an individual plan that is updated every year and possibly midway through the fire season depending on changing circumstances.

Low risk areas

The identification of low risk areas to hold livestock during the event of a bushfire can include the following:

Cultivated paddocks

Areas specifically cultivated and kept clear of regrowth to afford protection from fire. These paddocks should be centrally located and easy to access. Business objectives may not allow these unproductive areas to exist on some farms. 

Bared-out paddocks

These are paddocks that have been systematically grazed in spring and early summer to reduce dry feed. They can provide a low risk area when they are well defended by fire breaks.

If available, the differing grazing habits of cattle and sheep can be used to help reduce the available feed in the designated paddocks to an absolute minimum.

Crash grazing, using very large mobs of wethers, can be an effective strategy to reduce the quantity of available fuel prior to the fire season. Stock can be moved into these paddocks if a fire threatens.

Green paddocks

This can include irrigated paddocks or paddocks containing green summer crops.  It is known that green feed will not burn as readily as dry feed and, by allowing livestock access to such areas, can provide good protection.

Yards

Utilizing sheep yards as a safe area can be useful if time allows. However, extra care should be taken in preparation for the coming fire front. Wetting down the surrounds, and extensive fire breaks around the yards, are recommended.  Sheep often refuse to move once conditions get very hot, so they should be moved early in the day.

All low risk areas should be further protected by firebreaks, and be free of litter build-up. Thought should be put into the preferred location, and should take into account terrain, accessibility, the direction the fire threat is most likely to come from, prevailing winds in the summer months, and location of forests and bushland. In addition, all low risk areas should have sufficient drinking water supply to enable stock to remain in this area during periods of high to extreme temperatures for many hours or days.

Farms with large numbers of sheep and cattle may need to designate and manage several areas on the property as safe areas. However, farm business priorities can impact on this.

It is important to remember that low risk areas are only of use if they can be utilized at short notice.

In the event of fire affecting stock on a property, the Department of Primary Industries will provide expert advice on the need for destruction, or options for treatment. The welfare of the stock is of paramount importance.

Cutting Fences

It is important to note that cutting fences to allow stock to move with the movements of the fire is NOT recommended. Containment in a secure, low risk, area is more suitable and may reduce stock confusion and distress as the fire front passes. In addition, fences along roadsides should NOT be cut. Loose stock can cause accidents during fire, particularly when visibility is low due to smoke haze, and can be difficult to manage after the fire front passes.

Further Information

DPI Agnote - Assessing cattle after a bushfire
DPI Agnote - Assessing sheep after a bushfire
DPI Agnote - Disposing of carcases in response to bushfire, flood or drought
DPI Agnote - Agistment of livestock that have been affected by bushfires
DPI Agnote - Horses and Bushfires

Acknowledgements

This Agnote was developed by Fiona Dean, Farm Services Victoria. December 2006.

It was reviewed by:

Sally Peacock, Farm Services Victoria. October 2009.