New policy keeps trees of prime farms

Report: Eliza Wood
A new law will stop prime farming land being used for tree plantations.The Tasmanian government is amending the Protection of Agricultural Land Policy because it says fertile farming land in the state is becoming scarce, and must be protected for food production. There's been mixed reaction to the move.The President of the Tasmanian Farmers' and Graziers' Association says the policy strikes a reasonable balance: while it protects the top quality land, it also allows farmers to plant woodlots and shelter belts and build houses.Terry Edwards from the Forest Industries Association is concerned the policy will set a precedent in restricting the forest industries future capacity to buy prime agricultural land. "More importantly, it creates an extremely bad precedent in as much we now have a government telling private land owners what they can and can't grow on their own private land."However, Mr Edwards says the land to be protected, is not the sort of land forests would be planted on."That land that's classed 1, 2 and 3, the highest quality land is beyond the capacity of the forest industry to buy to establish plantations. The prices commanded for that land are extremely high and we could not establish plantations profitably on that land."Plantation opponent Malcolm Ryan, who is also a Burnie City Council councillor, says the government still doesn't recognise the value of the lower land classes. He says there needs to be a much broader view of the protection of land."We are going to be the foodbowl of Australia shortly and if we don't keep these plantations off this good producing land we are not going to be able to buy food. Because you look at what's happening in the Murray Darling region. You have a look at what's happening overseas with droughts, with turning food producing land into bio-fuel land. We are going to be very very important for food production in not only Tasmanian terms, not only in Australian terms but in a global context."While it appears farmers looking to build houses on smaller blocks may have it easier now, there's still concern at how local councils will interpret the policy and how consistent they'll be.The LGA says there will always be inconsistencies but could also give property owners more guidance as to what is and is not allowed.The changes will also make it easier to build houses on some farms.That's pleased the North West Action Group, a group that has been pushing for more leniency for housing approval approval.Dene Viney is a farmer near Wynyard who is preparing for retirement, and he's also a spokesman for the Action Group.He say the changes are just what is needed."We think that it gives us a fair bit of promise and hope there, it does make it a lot clearer and I think it probably makes it a lot clearer to councils."There's been a lot of indecision, there's been a lot of councils in the state interpreting this policy in all different ways, in very widely different ways, and I think now that this has hopefully given some assurance and guidelines."
In this report: Terry Edwards, Forest Industries Association; Malcolm Ryan, Burnie councillor