Farmers raise urgent warnings as catastrophic floods wipe out more than 100,000 livestock: 'The worst is yet to come'

Extreme weather in Queensland, Australia, has wiped out thousands of livestock. According to a report by ABC News, more than 100,000 cattle, goats, and sheep have died due to the intense flooding that has impacted Western Queensland. 

What's happening?

As farmers grapple with the loss of their livestock, experts warn that food prices will most likely rise due to supply shortages. 

"Reduced supply of animals, transportation issues and recovery costs are likely to see retail meat prices rise," ABC News reported. 

While consumers will face higher meat prices, farmers are left to face the long-term consequences of extreme weather. For farmers dealing with livestock losses firsthand, they fear the full impact has yet to be felt. 

"I think the worst is yet to come. We don't know what cattle we will have to sell or what the financial impacts are going to be," grazier Simone Seidel told ABC News. "We've got the expense of rebuilding, all the infrastructure, the roads … it's going to be months before we can get trucks into our property."

Why are increasing meat prices in Australia important?

As global temperatures continue to rise, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense. Farmers around the world are struggling to produce successful yields due to unstable weather. In Japan, for example, extreme heat during the summer and heavy snowfall in the winter caused rice and cabbage prices to skyrocket.

As a result, the climate crisis directly affects our food supply, causing shortages and driving up prices.

What's being done about rising food prices?

The best way to address rising food prices is by decreasing planet-warming pollution. Reducing the amount of harmful gases entering the atmosphere helps minimize extreme weather, which in turn allows farmers to produce more successful harvests.

Small lifestyle changes, such as reducing your use of single-use plastics and shopping locally, can help decrease your environmental footprint and safeguard our food supply.

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