Pastoralists in Western Australia's north are facing an uncertain season, with extensive road damage across the Kimberley leaving markets inaccessible.
The state's major northern abattoir, Kimberley Meat Company, has paused operations between Broome and Derby, with major flood damage isolating it from the cattle stations that supply it.
The Yeeda Pastoral Company-owned facility has escaped major damage but is unable to hold large numbers of cattle at the site after losing part of its holding yards.
And with large sections of the Great Northern Highway destroyed, chief executive Michael Rapattoni expected many pastoralists would not be able to move cattle to the facility for some time.
"While the processing facility is able to operate, damage to surrounding infrastructure means it remains inaccessible," he said.
"We are really isolated through infrastructure and roads being damaged from the Fitzroy all the way into the abattoir itself, restricting movements of cattle and movements of staff."
About 20 of the 90 staff employed at KMC remain isolated in Derby, with plans to evacuate them to Broome.
An emergency crew remains at the abattoir ready for processing.
In the meantime, the abattoir is hosting a Main Roads camp to assist with reparation works.
With tens of thousands of livestock feared lost, Mr Rapattoni said the company would re-open as soon as possible to support pastoralists with limited market options.
"We want to provide an economic solution to pastoralists," he said.
"That's really front and centre … how do we execute a plan that we can actually get cattle, particularly cattle that may be struggling with the ability to be fed, into the operations to be processed."
Live export shift likely
With the major transport route between the West Kimberley and East Kimberley potentially unusable for months, cattle producers may be forced to turn to alternative markets.
Until the road is repaired, the KMC abattoir and live export ships out of Broome will not be an option for pastoralists in the East Kimberley.
Those in the west will be unable to access eastern markets and the Darwin port.
As work to save and feed stranded cattle slowly eased, Kimberley Pilbara Cattlemen's Association chairman Jak Andrews said pastoralists were now turning their attention to longer-term market issues.
"Pastoralists are certainly looking at options and there is a very real chance that the cattle from this part of the world will go elsewhere for sale," he said.
"They realise that this infrastructure may not be in place to go through their normal channels.
"We're quite literally cut off from our markets and I guess our source of income, so the construction of those roads and the speed at which they occur will be paramount to these businesses moving forward."
Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis said the state government was working with KMC and KPCA to find solutions as quickly as possible.
She said Roebuck Plains cattle export depot was being considered as a temporary holding yard for the KMC abattoir.
