A convoy of Shepparton farmers and stakeholders is touring southern Queensland and northern NSW to try and better understand the issues facing the northern Murray Darling Basin.
Shepparton Independent MP Suzanna Sheed is leading the convoy of farmers, water stakeholders and councillors, to tour the Darling River.
The 15 person delegation includes Greater Shepparton councillor Geoff Dobson, dairy industry specialist and former Bega Cheese supply manager Stuart Brown, dairy farmer Russell Pell, and previous chair of the Region 2 Murray Darling Association and ex-Shepparton mayor Dennis Patterson.
Ms Sheed said there were many stories about water storage and usage in the northern Basin.
She decided the Shepparton community should meet with farmers, politicians, Indigenous leaders, water advocates, and people keen to restore a healthy river system in the northern Basin.
"Irrigators and water users in the Shepparton Irrigation District understand the difficulties of managing with less water in the system, so we are interested to learn how our counterparts in the Northern Basin are dealing with the issue," Ms Sheed said.
"Visiting farms and speaking to experts along the way will equip us with the knowledge to see the Murray Darling Basin as a whole and it will give us a clearer picture on how operations in the northern Basin may affect the southern Basin, and the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District."
The members of the delegation wanted to gain a better background knowledge of floodplain harvesting and how that had an impact on the Darling River and water delivery more broadly.
Ms Sheed and the delegation started their trip in Wentworth and will travel along the Darling River to Menindee, Tilpa, Kallara Station, Dirranbandi, St George, Moree and the Macquarie Marshes.
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
