Australia's new land clearing, regrowth laws spark concern among farmers
Tambo grazier Josh Phelps says the changes to environmental laws have backed the industry into a corner. (ABC Rural: Maddelin McCosker)
In short:
A "blanket" approach to environmental laws will restrict the ability for farmers to appropriately manage their land, a cattle producer says.
Many producers rely on clearing of native trees to manage thick regrowth as part of their grazing management practice.
What's next?
Farmers say clear and flexible environmental standards are needed.
Farmers are concerned Australia's new environmental laws will restrict their ability to manage their land responsibly.
Following a deal between Labor and the Greens last week, the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation laws have introduced tightened controls for land clearing and larger fines for breaches.
In Queensland, native trees, including brigalow, mulga, boree, gidgee and eucalypt, are periodically cleared on properties to manage thick regrowth.
Josh Phelps runs cattle on properties near Tambo, Brigalow and Bauhinia, in the heart of Queensland's scrub country.
"To put a blanket-type ruling over a nation, I just find it hard to grapple with," he said.
The Brigalow Belt runs from northern to Central Queensland and is known for its wide band of acacia-wooded grassland. (ABC Rural: Megan Hughes)
The Central Queensland producer said clearing was an essential part of land management, provided it was done in a "sustainable" way.
"A lot of that mulga land is actually rotated at 10, 15, 20-year intervals — not just to keep stock alive and healthy through dry times, but also as part of maintaining vegetation on the ground," Mr Phelps said.
The same laws for all sectors
Federal Environment Minister and Queensland Senator Murray Watt faced "furious" backlash from sections of Australia's agricultural community after the laws passed parliament last week.
The laws do not automatically prevent clearing, but federal approval would be needed when clearing could damage nationally protected "environmental matters".
"If that clearing will have a significant impact on, for example, threatened species, then they would need to seek federal environmental approval to do that in the same way that other industries do," Senator Watt said.
Producers say clearing is part of regular land maintenance. (ABC Rural: Marty McCarthy)
He also clarified that land clearing within 50 metres of rivers, creeks and wetlands within the Greater Barrier Reef catchment would need federal approval.
Senator Watt has repeatedly stated that the changes to Australia's environmental laws will bring agricultural approvals in line with other sectors.
"All this means is that producers need to comply with the same environmental standards and laws that every other industry needs to meet, like mining, housing development, renewable energy and other industries," he said.
The clearing laws don't take into consideration the realities of managing land, Josh Phelps says. (ABC Rural: Maddelin McCosker)
But Mr Phelps said blanket rules were the fundamental problem with the changes.
"I think the forgotten element here is there's people involved in this," Mr Phelps said.
"We're not asking to knock down a heap of country, we're just asking to let us do what we do well."
An 'unaffordable' approvals process
This year, data from Queensland's Statewide Landcover and Trees Study (SLATS) found Queensland livestock producers have cleared fewer trees for pasture, although environmentalists say the new federal laws do n 'o go far enough.
Queensland Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett said the changes added unnecessary red tape, created economic uncertainty and could render state-approved farming practices illegal.
"It's bringing farmers into line with multi-billion dollar foreign companies that propose mining projects here in the state," he said.
"This impact on mum-and-dad farmers in this state, to go through the regulatory process that's now required, will drive these people insane.
"This is never an easy process. It'll be unaffordable."