Small farmers welcome animal industries planning reforms

The State Government said it was making planning fairer, simpler and easier to understand, with what it said were significant reforms to the planning scheme.

Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford said the new reforms brought clarity to land use planning definitions while balancing the needs of agricultural businesses with environmental protection.

Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance president Tammi Jonas said it was a win for small-scale pastured pig and poultry farmers and everyone’s access to food grown in ethical and ecologically sound ways.

Ms Jonas said the reforms acknowledged the very low risk these systems pose to environment and amenity.

They introduced a streamlined permit application process for low density mobile outdoor pig and chicken farms, with no requirement for referrals to other agencies nor a notice and review period. 

“While we still maintain that small-scale pastured pig and poultry farms should not have been required to obtain a permit to farm in the Farming Zone, just as their grazing counterparts are not required to, we have accepted this compromise as a way forward to give local councils and communities confidence that our intentions to raise animals responsibly and respectfully are matched by our farming practices,’ Ms Jonas said.  

Under the new rules, small outdoor pig farms are required to maintain a 50 per cent ground cover, while keeping all pigs at least 100m from nearby homes and 400m from any residential zone.

Egg producers with 101 to 5000 hens and chicken-meat producers with 101 to 10,000 birds are also required to obtain permits.

The birds are required to be in moveable housing and producers must maintain 50 per cent ground-cover and setbacks from neighbours.

Ms Jonas said up until 2015 small-scale pastured pig and poultry farms were advised by councils across the state that they did not require permits as they were generally considered to be ‘extensive’ or grazing systems. 

However, a VCAT ruling in 2015 deemed Happy Valley, Wandin, free-range pig farm , as ‘intensive’ due to importing the majority of the pigs’ feed.

“Whilst the new scheme is not perfect, it blends solid scientific principles with a pragmatic approach for planners to ensure that our sector can continue to expand rapidly while protecting environment and amenity,” Ms Jonas said.

She said AFSA hoped it was the first of many amendments to legislation that was hampering the growth of regenerative agriculture across Australia, from scale-inappropriate planning schemes to food safety regulation. 

“We want to see regenerative farming become the new normal, with care for soil, water, animals, farm workers, and eaters at the core of our farming practices, but for this to happen, we need governments to shift their policy focus from supporting industrial agriculture to enabling regenerative farming.

“We’re encouraged by Ms Pulford’s announcement last month of the Artisanal Agriculture program, with $2 million earmarked to support our members in their efforts to grow food in ethical and ecologically-sound ways.”

Bruce Burton, Milking Yard Farm, Trentham East, supplies some of the leading restaurants and butchers in regional Victoria, Melbourne and interstate with Sommerlad meat chickens.

Mr Burton said the decision gave him more certainty.

“A lot of us have been holding off on investment decisions until this got sorted out,” Mr Burton said.

“What this does gives us an abbreviated way of getting a permit and continuing to operate.”

He said the new regulations gave a clearer indication of what the ground rules were.

“We are quietly confident everything will be good, for this rapidly expanding sector,” Mr Burton said.

“We will look at investing in an on-farm feed mill and another feed shed,” he said.

“We can expand the infrastructure we have now, to cater for demand, and look at a co-operative abattoir in Daylesford.”

VFF Chicken Meat president Allan Bullen said the new rules streamlined planning processes, across the state.

“There was no continuity in planning, across Victoria,” Mr Bullen said.

He said the permit system gave farmers security.

“A lot of these people were operating, illegally if you like, without a permit.”

He said stringent biosecurity regulations meant Australia was one of the few countries in the world, without bird flu.

“We need to remain like that.”

The new system would allow authorities to keep tabs on smaller producers.

“We only need someone with 1000 birds we don’t know about and all our efforts will be in vain.”

Mr Bullen, who sat on the Planning for Sustainable Animals Industries reference group said he was confident changes could be made if required.

“What we set out to achieve was get some protection, if you like, for town planners,” Mr Bullen said.

“Giving town planners a set of rules, they could follow, was the first priority.”

The second priority was to give applicants seeking for permits a set of rules they had to adhere to.

The reference group also looked at community amenity.

“There is a difference between community expectations if you live in a rural area, against living in a residential area,” Mr Bullen said.

“We needed to start putting some rules and regulations in place, so people know what to expected, both as farmers and people who want to live in the country and enjoy the rural lifestyle.”

Livestock producers reported a mixed response.

The new rules regard intensive animal production as being carried out on a property where food is imported from outside the immediate building, enclosure, paddock or pen.

But the definition of grazing has been expanded to incidental penning, feeding or housing animals, which are being weaned.

It also covers emergency, seasonal and supplementary feeding.

Pastoria beef and sheep producer Michael O'Sullivan said he was running 400 breeding cows and 3000 ewes, on his property.

He said conditions could dry out quickly in the area between Kyneton and Heathcote, meaning stock needed supplementary feeding.

“I need to take stock off, to preserve pasture,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

“It’ll make it easier for a lot of people who have a few lambs, they can’t finish on pasture.

“They can supplementary feed them on grain, or pellets.”

But the livestock producer at the heart of the ‘right-to-farm” controversy, Alexandra’s David Blackmore, said the rules were very different from the confidential draft on land use definition and planning controls he saw.

He was refused an “intensive beef production” permit to continue running is Wagyu cattle operation, on the outskirts of the town.

Murrindindi Shire Council refused the permit, following complaints by neighbours about machinery noise, feed trucks, dust and cockatoos.

“It appeared we would be able to farm in the way we were, but I would say these new reforms are even tougher than what they were before, for us,” Mr Blackmore said.

“We will have to shut down farming the way we were before.”

He said there was still confusion around the definition of grazing.’

“It’s really tough, to be honest.

“I don’t know how people are going to operate, within that definition of grazing.

“There is no good news in it, for us.”

He said he still owned the farm at Alexandra but had bought two new properties, at Benalla and Finlay, (NSW).

“We decided we couldn’t wait for everything to happen, our business would have stagnated. 

“The regulations in NSW are much different there and much easier.”

Alexandra would remain as breeding farm and house Blackmore’s offices

Mr Blackmore said his main concern was for farmers who backgrounded cattle, before onselling them to feedlots.

“I think these new rules will catch a lot of people out.”

“What the new regulations are saying is that the principal source of feed must be grazing.”

“I don’t know how they are going to decide when they are being supplementary fed, as their principal food must be grass.”