PHIL DONATO
MEMBER FOR ORANGE
THERE is growing frustration among farmers across New South Wales, and it is not about one particular regulation, government department, or piece of red tape.
It is about the cumulative burden.
Farmers understand that sensible regulation has a place. They recognise the need to protect the environment, manage natural resources, maintain community safety and ensure agriculture remains sustainable.
What they are asking is simple: that those making the rules understand the realities of farming.
A regulation that appears reasonable from a government office in Sydney can look very different when you are managing livestock, controlling pests, dealing with drought or flood and trying to keep a family farm financially viable.
Take firearms and pest management.
For many primary producers, firearms are essential tools for protecting livestock, managing properties and controlling feral animals.
Recent firearms reforms have created additional challenges for farmers seeking equipment for serious pest management, while farmers can also face penalties for failing to control invasive species.
Feral pigs remain a significant problem across rural NSW. Farmers need practical pest-management arrangements that recognise the scale and nature of that challenge.
Kangaroo management presents another example.
Farmers have raised concerns about the time and complexity involved in obtaining permits where kangaroos are damaging crops, pasture and fencing.
Wildlife protection is important, but so is protecting agricultural production and the livelihoods of those managing the land.
Management systems need to be timely, practical and responsive to conditions on the ground.
Then there is the rapid expansion of renewable energy and transmission infrastructure across regional NSW.
Reliable energy is important, and renewable energy will form part of our future energy system.
But regional communities cannot simply be treated as convenient locations on a map. Large projects and transmission lines can affect farm operations, agricultural production, bushfire management and family life.
Landholders deserve genuine consultation, fair compensation and a meaningful say when projects directly affect their properties.
Agricultural land is productive land, not simply an empty corridor waiting for infrastructure.
Water regulation presents another challenge. Farmers have invested heavily in dams and water infrastructure to improve productivity and resilience.
Water resources must be protected and unlawful use addressed, but there is a difference between deliberate water theft and managing longstanding, legitimate infrastructure.
Metering, licensing and compliance requirements can impose significant costs on family farms already facing rising input costs and uncertain seasons.
Then there is land tax.
Farming is inherently volatile, with drought, floods, fire, pests, commodity prices and international markets all affecting the bottom line.
That is why many farmers are diversifying through value-adding, processing, complementary enterprises and farm-based businesses.
Yet as farms evolve, land-tax arrangements can create another financial burden. There should be a clear distinction between speculative landholding and a working farm investing in diversification and long-term resilience.
The common thread is that farmers face all these issues simultaneously.
For government departments, firearms regulation is one issue, kangaroo management another, water compliance another and land tax another. But for a farmer, they do not arrive in separate boxes.
They all land on the same property.
They all affect the same business.
And ultimately, they all affect the same family.
Farmers are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for a fair go and some common sense.
Those making decisions about farming should take the time to understand what those decisions mean when they reach the farm gate.
Because every additional rule, permit, fee, inspection or compliance requirement might look like a small administrative matter in a government office.
On a working farm, it is another hurdle.
I have raised each of these issues on the floor of the NSW Parliament last week, and I have also raised them separately with the respective Ministers to review.