Farmers fear next drought after rainwater harvest rules slashed

NSW farmers have claimed the state’s next drought could send them under after their ability to use rainwater on their land was secretly slashed by the Minns government.

Farmers along the NSW coast say they will struggle to make it through the next drought after the Minns government secretly cut their ability to harvest rainwater on their land on Wednesday afternoon.

Farmers said they were given no notice when the harvesting limits for rain that falls on their properties were changed from 30 per cent to 10 per cent.

The former government increased the water capture limits early last year in order to allow farmers along the coast who had been ravaged by drought to store more rainwater in dams during wet periods in order to help them grow food and keep livestock alive.

Now the current government is changing them back, meaning some farmers may have to fill their dams in.

Bega dairy farmer Phil Ryan said he would have to sell his cattle before they “drop down dead” should another drought hit, saying the new limits will leave him unprepared for bushfires and prolonged dry spells.

Dairy farmer Phil Ryan. Picture: Martin Ollman

Mr Ryan, who has 400 dairy cows on his farm said at the height of the last drought he was eight weeks away from running out of water.

He is now concerned the reduction of water he can capture will see a repeat of hard times.

“It will be a bad summer and conditions are already incredibly dry here on the coast,” he said.

“Another drought could see more and more farmers go out of productive agriculture along the coast and decrease our food security and our ability to provide fresh local food.”

Multiple farmers said the government’s changes came out the blue without any consultation with stakeholders.

Coffs Harbour banana and avocado grower Paul Shoker said none of the farmers in his area received any notice of the decision.

Coffs Harbour farmer Paul Shoker. Picture: Frank Redward

“There’s no consultation, it’s basically you hear about it from a press release and if that is the government’s new norm of dealing with industry, it’s extremely worrying,” he said.

Mr Shoker said reverting back to the 10 per cent rule would see the water just flow into the sea, which was not just an issue for food security but for the local fire services, who use local farmers’ dams to fight bushfires.

“Where are they going to find that water if dams are empty?” he said.

“This has been poorly executed by the current government because it’s not just water being used to feed our nation, it is also water that is an important emergency resource.”

The Minns government has reverted rainwater caps to 10 per cent. Picture: Gaye Gerard

NSW Water Minister Rose Jackson said the decision to revert to 10 per cent capture was designed to make water use more sustainable as the state heads into drought. She said in the period in which farmers were able to increase their dam capacity under the previous government, a negligible number did so.

“Water is going to be more scarce and we need to make sure it is sustainable and fair,” she said.

She denied there had been a lack of consultation with farming groups.

“I have talked to the Irrigators council and the farmers about some of my concerns for some time – they’re not going to like the decision.”