Renewable energy, national traceability reforms and feral pigs were front and centre for farmers debating the key issues affecting agriculture at the NSW Farmers 2024 Annual Conference today.
NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said conference delegates were clear that as the nation’s energy transition progressed, the need to find practical solutions to reduce the impact on farmers was a critical concern.
“Recognising the complex impact this transition is having on landholders and rural communities – and properly engaging these groups on the renewable projects that affect them – is just the start of what governments need to do,” Mr Martin said.
“Mandating fire plans for renewables projects and keeping huge vehicles transporting infrastructure off rural roads during peak traffic hours were just some of the solutions supported today to ease the pain of this energy transition on farmers and families.
“There is much to be done if we want to minimise the impact on rural NSW – but today has seen real solutions and a real pathway through this transition put on the table.”
³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ traceability reforms were also on the agenda, with farmers warning their support for the reforms remained contingent on several key principles being met.
“Delegates were very clear today that governments needed to step up – and big time – to ensure farmers could successfully transition through these traceability reforms, without huge costs or regulatory burdens being placed on them,” Mr Martin said.
“Insufficient funding to support producers through these reforms, as well as the lack of tag-free pathways for animals moving directly from their property of birth to slaughter, were among the issues farmers must have addressed and fast to transition to this new system by 2025.”
While delegates voted against a motion to establish a feral pig bounty, farmers supported a call for coordinated measures to fight feral pigs at today’s conference.
Other motions passed at today’s Conference included motions in support of:
• implementing the recommendations of the Dyer review into community engagement on renewable energy projects
• situating nuclear plants at existing coal-fired power sites
• establishing an online mapping portal to guide land use on rural land
• subsiding varroa mite treatment costs for NSW beekeepers.
NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin and Vice President Rebecca Reardon were also re-elected to their positions, unopposed, for a second term at the Conference today. In addition, Ian McColl, Justin Everitt and Bronwyn Petrie were elected to the NSW Farmers Board.
