Government to improve roads in northern Australia for better cattle transport
The beef industry is expected to have better transport and supply of cattle soon as the Australian government is working to improve roads in northern Australia. According to a press release by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the government aims to provide comfort for both drivers and cattle by reducing travel distance and time and saving fuel costs.
The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development will lead the project of developing roads in northern Australia. The department will determine the priorities for future road investment under the $100 million Northern Australia Beef Roads Programme of the government.
Acting Prime Minister Warren Truss backs the project, which allows the beef industry to provide assistance for the identification of investment priorities. Researchers from CSIRO will be working with the industry, the state and territory and local governments for the project.
The government and the beef industry are holding a discussion for the project in Kununurra, Western Australia.
"The great thing about meeting with people from the beef and transport community is they know their local roads and they know what is needed," Andrew Higgins from CSIRO’s Land and Water said in the press release. "The beef industry is working closely with CSIRO to improve transport infrastructure in the region."
CSIRO has already developed the Transport Network Strategic Investment Tool (TRANSIT) to provide better transport experience for drivers. "Each year, over 50 million tonnes of agriculture are transported to storage, processing and export facilities" by using the TRANSIT, Higgins said.
CSIRO is currently improving TRANSIT to help more than 95 percent of agriculture transport, which will cover supply chains between production and port or domestic markets for grains, dairy, sugar, cotton, pigs, rice, sheep, poultry, grapes and a wide range of horticulture and fruit and vegetables.
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