Farmers have secured a victory for common sense.
The state government has extended a crucial deadline for farmers to have a say on a planned overhaul of native vegetation regulations, and this is a chance we can’t afford to miss.
The VFF always argued that a February deadline was unreasonable due to the hectic schedule broadacre farmers have during the annual grain harvest.
Farmers need to be given the opportunity to get off the tractor and get their heads around what the government is proposing.
The VFF has previously criticised the proposed changes to native vegetation laws for not reducing the unnecessary burden that makes life difficult for the state’s hardworking food producers.
It’s disappointing that a more extensive reworking of the flawed guidelines was not reflected in the government’s current proposal.
The VFF has argued for a simplified process for managing native vegetation across the state, providing a model that farmers can understand and work towards.
Unfortunately, the current proposal is just a continuation of the same old red tape and limited recognition of the extensive revegetation works farmers already undertake.
This is not just an issue in Victoria, but across the border in New South Wales, where the state government has recognised the frustration felt by farmers forced to work with restrictive native vegetation regulations for zero environmental gain.
Victorian farmers want to work towards a system that rewards environmental gains made by the sector by facilitating change that is both good for farming and creates healthy habitats for native wildlife.
The VFF is working with the government on behalf of the farming community to ensure any changes to native vegetation regulations provide a balance between environmental, social and economic impacts on regional communities.
The extended consultation period gives farmers a rare opportunity to take their concerns directly to the state’s decision makers.
It is vital that farmers worried they will be impacted by these changes, stand up and be heard, and tell the government just how the new laws would affect you.
Comments and submissions now close on March 8, 2017, with people encouraged to lodge individual submissions at https://engage.vic.gov.au/native-vegetation-review.
David Jochinke, VFF President