With ongoing drought conditions causing significant challenges for Victoria’s livestock industry, eligible vehicles will now be able to transport grain and fodder at higher weight limits on key freight routes in the state’s south-west.
Due to a critical shortage of fodder, many farmers are having to look interstate for supply.
In response, the Department of Transport and Planning has released the Drought Network, aimed at helping to increase accessibility of the road network for fodder transport in south-west Victoria.
This will enable critical grain and fodder to be transported to Victorian farmers in need, at up to 84 tonnes, a 15-tonne increase on the usual limit.
The NHVR says the network has been designed to reduce exposure to Victoria’s bridge infrastructure while providing access to safe drop-off points where fodder and grain can be distributed directly to farms by smaller vehicles.
“This means more feed can be delivered in fewer trips, getting vital supplies to farmers more efficiently, as well as relaxed requirements for road trains for the drought network to support bulk movement of fodder and grain,” the NHVR said.
The initiative is a combined effort of the Department of Transport and Planning, the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) and the Livestock and Rural Transport Association of Victoria (LRTAV).
The pre-approved permit network aims to reduce regulatory barriers and streamline access for interstate freight operators transporting grain and fodder into the region.
According to the NHVR, the bulk of fodder transported in Victoria is moved on B-double combinations. This Scheme extends access to two trailer road trains capped at 84.0 tonnes, 36.5 metres long, 4.6 metres high and 2.83 metres wide. While road trains operating under this Scheme do not need to comply with Performance Based Standards (PBS), they do need to meet the mass and dimension limits of one of the three reference vehicles illustrated in Figure 1 and Tables 1 and 2.
“The new Drought Network will allow operators to deliver grain and fodder to central pick-up points where farmers can then collect and transport to their properties in smaller vehicle combinations,” the Department said.
“It will be reviewed over time, with access expanded where deemed appropriate, subject to road and bridge conditions.”
The NHVR added that central to the scheme is the need for transport operators to meet biosecurity obligations. “Hay and fodder are known hosts and/or carriers of various quarantine pests and pathogens to Victoria. As such, interstate movement of hay and fodder is subject to strict restrictions.”
While there are no restrictions or permit requirements for fodder coming from the Northern Territory or Tasmania, the Department says fodder coming from all other jurisdictions requires either a plant health certificate or a permit issued by Agriculture Victoria.
The VFF has welcomed the government’s announcement.
“Farmers in the south-west can’t get their hands on fodder quick enough. This expanded road train network will remove red-tape and allow larger trucks into the region to deliver much-needed fodder for stock,” said VFF President Brett Hosking.
“Farmers and transporters have been telling us the barriers around getting fodder into these drought-hit areas in the quantities needed has been one of their major frustrations and this move will go a long way to fixing that.”