Tasmania's peak farming body is reviewing the success of its Living Next Door to a Farmer campaign, aimed at promoting harmony between primary producers and town and city residents.
Primary Industries Minister Guy Barnett launched the campaign, managed by the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association, in June 2020.
It's supported by the Local Government Association Tasmania and the Real Estate Institute of Tasmania.
The campaign's primary focus is to work with farmers, local government and the real estate industry to increase understanding of farming practices.
It aims to support and promote good neighbourly relations.
TFGA project officer Fiona Gluszyk said the TFGA was currently conducting a survey, to determine the success of the campaign.
"We are running the survey to see how the campaign has worked, if it has reached the right people or enough people," she said.
"We want to know how promotion of the campaign has worked and how we can make it better."
She said the campaign was now even more relevant, as coronavirus had seen city-dwellers increasingly moving to the country.
Farming concerns
It came about from the concerns from the farming community," Ms Gluszyk said.
"People moving from the city to rural areas bring positives to local communities, such as new skills, children in schools, fill employment gaps and many other wonderful things.
"However, sometimes those moving from the city to the country don't have a full understanding of what it means to live near a working farm."
Key issues include noise, cat management, dog control, irrigation, fencing and biosecurity.
Ms Gluszyk said farmers saw city dwellers moving in, who wanted a change to a nice quiet country lifestyle and expected working practices to alter.
"There is that expectation from people moving from the city to the country that farming will just stop, but that's not the case."
Ms Gluszyk said it wasn't just an issue for the peri-urban areas around Tasman's main population centres.
"Tasmania is such a beautiful state and people come into the local communities; it's not just around Hobart and Launceston, it is also the smaller rural communities' people are moving into".
Ms Gluszyk said the right to farm was covered by legislation.
The Primary Industry Activities Protection Act 1995 represents a legislative approach to protect the right of farmers to conduct their farming activities.
The Act protects persons engaged in primary industry by limiting the operations of the common law of nuisance in respect of certain activities that are incidental to efficient and commercially viable primary production.
Ms Gluszyk said many of the issues simply required both sides talking to each other.
"They need to talk to each other and build a relationship - talk to the farmer first, before the matter goes any further."
As part of the campaign, an information booklet has been developed, along with the website (https://tfga.com.au/environment/living-next-door-to-a-farmer-1) which provides more in-depth information and links to relevant information / legislation, as well as including promotion on social media platforms.
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
