Victorian Farmers Federation president David Jochinke has urged the State Government to engage in extensive consultation over new planning regulations, governing the development of solar farms.
A spokeswoman for Planning Minister Richard Wynne said the guidelines, and a report on four planned farms for the greater Shepparton area, would be released soon.
We're developing clear guidelines for the assessment of solar farm applications in Victoria -- to give locals certainty and support jobs, the spokeswoman said.
The Minister is considering a report from an independent planning panel on the four Greater Shepparton applications and will release their report soon.
Mr Wynne called in the applications for the four farms, after objections, largely on the grounds they were proposed for productive irrigation land with extensive, modernised irrigation infrastructure.
The Minister convened an expert planning panel to decide on the four applications, as well as write guidelines for future solar farms.
The projects proposed for the Shepparton area are located in Congupna, Lemnos, Tallygaroopna and Tatura East.
The State Government has recently announced another three solar farms, to be built at Cohuna, Carwarp and Winton, prior to the release of planning regulations.
At this years state conference VFF delegates supported a motion to call on the government to exclude the development of solar farms on land with a water use licence.
Mr Jochinke previously said while the farmer groups main concern was the loss of irrigated land, solar farms also had an impact on valuable grazing country.
He said the development of solar farms needed a long-term strategy.
Guidelines have been promised to us and we want to be actively involved in the discussions around them, Mr Jochinke said.
Its hard to have an informed decision-making process when you dont have planning overlays or the intent for the industry clearly mapped out.
He said farmers wanted to give surety to both agriculture and the industry, so both sides could know whats in and whats out.
You are putting in infrastructure thats going to be there for a long time, so we want to see a long-term strategy, Mr Jochinke said.
The sector previously faced issues with wind farms.
Playing catch up is essentially what we are doing and its very disappointing.
It is completely 100 per cent vital we get these regulations out into the public domain, so we can see whats going on.
Mr Jochkine was backed by Shepparton Independent MP Suzanna Sheed.
Ms Sheed said communities, such as Shepparton, welcomed renewable energy.
Im not aware of anyone opposing solar farms, other than they not be placed on valuable irrigation farmland, Ms Sheed said.
That is the thrust of the representation we have made to government.
She said it was vital the government didnt simply present a finished product.
Its really important they get it right, Ms Sheed said.
From my point of view, we would like to see those guidelines coming out for consultation, so we can start to have a good look at them and have input into what we think.
We dont see it as a negative, we want to contribute to the discussion around the placement of solar farms and the use of certain areas of land.
Guidelines were very important but, so far, had not been on the agenda.
It took quite a long time to get the guidelines settled for wind farms, she said.
There is a wind farm commissioner and a lot more effort was put in, earlier on, into the whole wind farm issue, because it was more controversial.
Solar farms jumped up as an issue because of the proposal to build them in this irrigated, highly valuable agricultural footprint, in the Goulburn Valley.
