Agriculture Victoria has drafted new land use planning regulations for the establishment and expansion of animal production facilities.
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Farms such as large dairies, beef feedlots, and pig and poultry operations are set to be affected.
Farmers have a little under four weeks to give feedback on the new laws before the deadline of April 22.
The planning arrangements, outlined under 'Clause 53.AA Animal production', will be finalised by the middle of this year.
They will not retrospectively affect farms previously granted planning permission and already built.
However, the laws will cover all intensive farm developments and expansions going forward.
The proposed planning arrangements cover intensive animal production, including pig, poultry, hatchery, intensive dairy, cattle feedlot, sheep and goat (feedlot and intensive dairy) industries.
They do not apply to grazing animal production such as for beef and sheep.
There were a suite of changes in the farm planning laws, included in Clause 53.AA.
The new clause took a risk-based approach to the planning, assessment, and approval of farm planning applications.
It was aimed at ensuring planning requirements were standardised and made appropriate for the size, location, scale and expected impacts of various farm production systems.
Separation distance methods were now provided for all animal production industries in Victoria.
The new distance requirements, available here, were one of the main changes under the new laws.
Separation distances involve the distance between a farm planning application, such as for a feedlot, and roads, or other public amenities.
The new laws considered not only the current use for neighbouring land but the potential or zoned future use.
No more than 50 per cent of the area of a neighbouring property could now be used in the separation distance.
While different distances were required depending on the proposed farm operation, they were now restrictions all farmers must adhere to.
The distance requirements were aimed at minimising the risks of nuisance from odour, dust, and noise, for the public.
In better news for farmers, some planning requirements had been made easier.
Some low-risk farm planning applications would now be exempt from 'notice and review', under the clause.
This meant that these farmers were not required to give planning notice to third parties, including neighbouring properties.
Exemption from third-party notice and review would only be granted to applications where the separation distance requirements were reached and fully contained within the farm boundary.
The location of all proposed animal production facilities must also now be a minimum distance from waterways, and in addition, facilities were required to provide protection to surface and groundwater.
The new laws came about through Agriculture Victoria's consultation with farm industry representatives, community groups, local government and partner agencies.
Agriculture Victoria invited farmer feedback before the April 22 deadline.
Readers can share their views here.