View AFSA’s Response to the Proposed State Environmental Planning Policy (Primary Production and Rural Development) and related planning reforms, submitted 15 January 2018 and prepared by Sarah de Wit, Katie Johnston, Tammi Jonas, Penny Kothe, Anthony Wilson & Courtney Young.

Summary of Recommendations

Recommendation 1: That the Government foster NSW’s food security and strengthen its efforts to identify ‘Food Sheds’ by consulting with shires and taking into consideration research by UTS and SPUN in relation to peri-urban planning.

Recommendation 2: Create more flexibility for the construction of dwellings built in support of the agricultural purposes on farms, while maintaining and strengthening guards against converting farms to purely residential, lifestyle properties.

Recommendation 3: Amend the interpretational inconsistency by classifying operations below the thresholds as ‘extensive agriculture’ so that the definition for ‘extensive agriculture’ can include pasture-based pig farms and poultry farms.

 Recommendation 4: That all shed based pig farms be included in the ‘feedlot’ definition and that pastured pig farms be included in the ‘extensive’ definition.

Recommendation 5: That the trigger to judge a pastured pig farm ‘intensive’ be set at more than 25 SPU/Ha, subject to meeting minimum standards.

Recommendation 6: That all shed based poultry farms be included in the ‘feedlot’ definition and that pastured poultry farms be included in the ‘extensive’ definition.

Recommendation 7: That the trigger to judge a pastured poultry farm as ‘intensive’ be set at more than 450 birds/Ha, subject to meeting minimum standards.

Recommendation 8: That all pastured livestock are defined under ‘extensive agriculture’, but that the term be changed to ‘Pastured Animal Production’.

Recommendation 9: That where feeding infrastructure is mobile, a setback from neighbouring dwellings, waterways or environmentally sensitive areas be set at no more than 20m.

Recommendation 10: To formulate a separate definition for small-acre (1-40ha) plant agriculture which does not require Development Consent, but rather full and comprehensive notification to the relevant consent authority.

Recommendation 11: Develop Codes of Practice in close consultation with small-scale pastured pig and poultry farmers. (See draft Code of Practice for Pastured Pig Production in Appendix C for what such codes might include.)

Recommendation 12: That a regulatory impact statement be prepared urgently.

 

Please forward on our submission to your local member to ensure the future of our small-scale, pastured poultry and pork producers.

 

Published On: 16 January, 2018Categories: News