Australia's most populous state entirely in drought

Australia’s most populous state has been was declared entirely in drought and struggling farmers have been given new authority to shoot kangaroos that compete with livestock for sparse pasture during the most intense dry spell in more than 50 years.

Much of Australia‘s southeast is struggling with drought. But the drought conditions in New South Wales state this year have been the driest and most widespread since 1965.

The state government said Wednesday that 100 percent of New South Wales’ land area of more than 800,000 square kilometers (309,000 square miles) was now in drought.

The government has also lifted the number of kangaroos that farmers are allowed to shoot and reduced bureaucratic red tape facing land holders applying for permission to shoot.