A policy capping visitor numbers to NSW farms will be scrapped

Restrictions on the number of visitors allowed on NSW farms that Premier Chris Minns labelled “ridiculous”will be abolished from next week.

Restrictions on the number of visitors allowed on NSW farms that Premier Chris Minns labelled “ridiculous” will be abolished from next week.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal the government will abolish the little-known rules that limited pick-your-own produce farms to hosting 100 visitors at a time if they did not have planning permission.

The Telegraph last month revealed Hornsby Shire Council was threatening farms with compliance letters for having more people on their property than allowed.

Now the limits will be scrapped in a bid to give farmers more opportunities to sell fresh produce to the public.

“The visitor caps were an unfair restriction on pick-your-own activities which were operating before the policy began – some cater for up to 1,500 visitors a day, especially on weekends and at harvest time,” Planning Minister Paul Scully said.

Planning Minister Paul Scully called the visitor caps unfair. Picture: NCA NewsWire

“This policy clearly needed another look — until now it’s been one rule for existing agritourism businesses and another for new pick-your-own-fruit farm operations,” he said.

Farmers last month warned that the rules which Hornsby Council was threatening to enforce would put them out of business and leave their produce rotting on trees.

Mark Watkins, who had campaigned for the caps to be abolished, called for all farms to be included. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

Mr Minns called the caps “ridiculous” last month, after he was told of the policy.

The new agritourism policy – which will come into effect from as early as next week – will be reviewed after a year to ensure exemptions for pick-your-own produce farms do not have “unintended consequences” for locals.

Citrus farmer Mark Watkins, from Laughtondale in the Lower Hawkesbury, said removing the cap would be “fantastic news” — but only if it applied to everyone.

He was worried the changes would only apply to certain land zones and that farms like his would still be restricted in the number of visitors they can take.

“It’s only good if all zonings are included,” he said.

“This policy clearly needed another look – until now it’s been one rule for existing agritourism businesses and another for new pick-your-own-fruit farm operations,” he said.

Farmers last month warned that the rules which Hornsby Shire Council was threatening to enforce would put them out of business and leave their produce rotting on trees.