Northern Victoria Region
Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:49): (937) My constituency question is for the Minister for Agriculture. One of my wonderful constituents recently rescued two orphaned lambs, naming them Binky and Daisy. They are just two of the countless lambs currently being born into the freezing temperatures of the Macedon Ranges. Like many newborn lambs, Binky arrived unwell with early stages of pneumonia. With round-the-clock care he is now thriving, spending most of his time sleeping as close as he possibly can to the indoor fire. Every year during Australia’s lambing season as many as 15 million newborn lambs die in the first 48 hours of their lives due to hypothermia, starvation, exposure and neglect. These are harrowing statistics that the wool and meat industries have made clear they will just accept as part of business. What is the minister doing to reduce lamb mortality rates in Northern Victoria?