Native veg rules 'impossible'

Food and fibre producers from across the North West packed a room at Moree to hear from officials from the Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) on the changes to the regulations.

But the consensus of the meeting was the amendments – which would add several new exceptions to the list of routine agricultural management activities (RAMAs) which do not require approval for land-clearing – do not go far enough.

A show of hands in the room showed more than half of the attendees at the meeting had dealt with the CMA to negotiate property vegetation plans (PVPs) - but only a handful had success.

Several farmers said lengthy waiting periods of up to a year for assessments made playing by the rules impossible.

One Bingara grazier, who asked not to be named for fear he would be targeted by the OEH, said he was now facing remediation after clearing a parcel of land for cropping after several attempts to have a PVP approved.

“Every time we’d go to them, they’d change the goal posts again so I just got sick and tired of the rubbish and cleared it,” he said.

Gwydir Shire councillor Angela Doering said producers were frustrated by the different sets of laws regarding environmental responsibility for farmers and mining companies.

“It’s not fair that farmers seem to be the last stop for this financial impost,” she said.

“We keep having regulation upon regulation put upon us while (mining companies) have it carte blanche.”

Narrabri rural financial counsellor Liz Tomlinson said she often received calls from farmers unable to decipher directives issued by the OEH.

“I have had grown men break down in tears because they can’t understand the bureaucratic nonsense in these letters,” she said.

Mrs Tomlinson, who is also a farmer, was one of several landholders who said scattered paddock trees needed to be added to the list of RAMAs which grant exception to land-clearing regulations.

She said these scattered trees, which currently require assessment by the CMA for approval to be removed, posed a health and safety risk to farmers operating machinery in poor visibility conditions.

Landholders are also expected to move a motion to rescind the act at a public meeting in Walgett on Monday.

But Cameron Rowntree, “Eurie Eurie”, Walgett, said local farmers wanted to avoid a walkout – like those at the Cooma, Cobar and Tenterfield meetings – in recent weeks.

“I’m not saying there isn’t going to be some anger in the room – I’d suggest there will be – but we’ve said the last thing we want to do is walk out,” said.

Mr Rowntree met with eight other local landholders this week to discuss a strategy for the meeting.

They want to change the act and regulations to include the development of regional vegetation plans based on “landscape management flexibility”, focus on the triple bottom line outcome, allow more flexibility for farmers to develop country, and remove some species from the threatened species list to enable better land usage.

Mr Rowntree said they also wanted the “restrictive” condition score of native vegetation changed, offset ratios and “excessive” penalties reduced and for national parks and travelling stock routes and reserves to be used as offsets.

“(Government) has to deal with us and be involved; have farmers involved in the actual process,” he said.

“The big-stick approach does not work.”

When Environment Minister Robyn Parker visited North West NSW at the end of last month, she told landholders they needed to be involved in the consultation process.

“All of those things we talked about, how are they going to work under the new regulations? Can it work? Are we getting it right or are we just totally off the mark?” she said.

“We’re aiming to do things better for everyone; better for the environment but also better workability for farmers.

“Now is the critical time to make sure that you get involved.”