Growcom:
"Unfair bill puts Queensland fruit and veg production at risk"
Growcom Chief Advocate Rachel Mackenzie said under the present laws only 56 ha/year has been cleared for horticulture while at the same time 5700 ha/year of prime agricultural land was being lost to urbanisation.
“Really the Queensland government just needs to do the maths. We cannot have a situation where the land available to grow nutritious food is being reduced at an enormous rate and at the same time completely remove any mechanism for growers to expand their production,” she said.
“This is not just an issue for rural and regional communities. This is an issue which will impact on food security in the cities too, and the impacts will be far-reaching if these laws are passed without amendment.
“We are not talking about broad-scale clearing of large areas. All we are talking about is small parcels of land (maximum 30 ha) being cleared to improve production on existing farms and in many cases modify the farm so its overall environmental footprint is reduced.”
Ms Mackenzie said HVA and IHVA (irrigated high value agriculture) provisions were already the most tightly regulated provisions within the Vegetation Management Act, and the Queensland Government must meet the industry half way.
“We are comfortable if the government imposes even stricter conditions, provided we do not lose the capacity to expand altogether,” she said.
“Horticulture is extremely high value with returns for some crops up to $40,000/ha and is considered to be agriculture’s star performer in terms of access to new export markets.
“Demand for Australian produce is high and Queensland is well placed to take advantage of the dining boom across Asia.
“In addition, if every Australian ate the recommended serves of fruit and vegetables per day we currently do not grow enough to meet that demand.
“The rationale provided by the government for removing the provision for HVA and IHVA is to reduce carbon emissions but surely the miniscule reduction of potential emissions is not worth squandering the growth potential of a whole sector.
“We call on the Queensland Government to reinstate the provisions for regulated clearing for HVA and IHVA land and seek to collaborate with them to develop sensible conditions to manage their concerns.”
For more information:
Growcom
Primary Producers House
Level 3, 183 North Quay
Brisbane Qld 4000
PO Box 202
Fortitude Valley Qld 4006
p: 07 3620 3844
f: 07 3620 3880
growcom@growcom.com.au
www.growcom.com.au