Farmers losing their land

The vegetation management laws have been passed in Queensland

Gregory MP Lachlan Millar at the protest march for the proposed vegetation clearing land laws. Picture: Contributed

HUNDREDS of farmers taking a stand at Brisbane's Parliament House was not enough to stop the proposed vegetation management laws from going ahead.

Farmers all over Queensland have taken to social media to express their disappointment over the passage of the Vegetation Management and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2018, which they say restricts their land management abilities.

AgForce general president Grant Maudsley said agriculture was the social and economic fabric of many Queensland regional and rural communities and the impact of these laws would be felt far beyond the farm gate.

"Farmers love and care for their land and only manage vegetation to sustainably produce the great food and fibre that consumers in Australia and overseas demand,” he said.

"These laws are the worst of both worlds. The changes make it harder for farmers to grow food and deliver worse, not better, environmental outcomes.

"We're not going to cop this. We're going to keep fighting until we get fair and balanced laws that deliver good outcomes for agriculture and the environment without strangling farmers in red tape.

"It's pretty simple - if farmers can't feed their own families, they can't feed yours. We're all in this together, we all eat food, we all wear clothes, and we all care for the environment.”

Member for Gregory Lachlan Millar said the laws would affect the ability of farmers and graziers to develop long-term business plans.

"They will lock up 1.7 million hectares of developed farmland throughout Queensland without a single dollar of compensation,” he said.

"During the committee process, departmental representatives admitted the science was wrong, that it's actually possible there is a net gain in vegetation across Queensland.

"The reality is, the changes Labor introduced will produce perverse outcomes which actually contravene the objectives of the legislation.”