Lack of feed leaves farmers desperate

Fears that starving sheep have been shot on a North Canterbury farm have prompted calls for desperate farmers to be given priority for stock at freezing works.

North Canterbury Federated Farmers president Chris Sundstrum said these farmers should be able to get their sheep killed "humanely" at freezing works and not have to wait behind preferential customers and other bookings.

His call came as farmers between Timaru and Cook Strait waited for killing space for 270,000 old ewes.

Sundstrum had heard rumours some old ewes had been shot on a drought-stricken North Canterbury property, but believed it was someone getting rid of "tailenders" which were not coping with the dry conditions.

"It was for humane purposes, if it happened at all.

"There should be a catalogue of more urgent cases (by freezing companies)," he said.

Farmers' problems were mounting because they could not buy in extra feed due to the drought and lack of cash, and the freezing works were "clogged".

The demand from the dairy industry for supplementary feed had also pushed up the price of feed.

"I am not blaming dairying. But it has pushed sheep farmers into a real corner."

Federated Farmers Meat and Fibre North Canterbury chairman Dugald McLean said he was forced to cut the throats of about 28 ewes on his Omihi property last July because they were too thin to go to the works.

It was the first time in 60 years on the family farm that had happened.

The summer drought was made worse by a winter and autumn that failed to deliver enough rainfall in North Canterbury, particularly around Hawarden, Waikari and Omihi, he said.

Poor prices were now contributing to farmers' plight and some farmers were converting bank overdrafts into mortgages to get better interest rates.

"They are taking out a mortgage to buy their groceries," he said.