Biodiversity plan offers nothing for ratepayers, farmers say

KEL Graham and Jeff Zanette have no confidence that a rate hike to fund a Biodiversity Management Strategy, will create anything but angst for rural producers.

UP IN ARMS: Wyrallah farmer Kel Graham and Tullera farmer Jeff Zanette are opposed to Lismore City Council’s Biodiversity Protection Strategy. Picture: Jamie Brown

FARMERS like Wyrallah's Kel Graham and Tullera's Jeff Zanette have no confidence that a special rate variation to fund a Biodiversity Management Strategy, as envisaged by Lismore City Council, will create anything other than angst for rural producers.

"It will produce nothing of real value for the Lismore ratepayers, who are being asked to fund it," said Mr Graham

Public comment on the rate variation closes tomorrow, February 24, but interested ratepayers can comment on-line at the Lismore City Council website or by emailing [e-mail].

Mr Graham, who runs cattle on land at Wyrallah that could be affected by the strategy, said the council plan would create yet another layer of bureaucratic green tape that would dampen enthusiasm for rural enterprise and investment.

"The problem with Australia is that few people have ever gone hungry," he said. "People don't appreciate the value of the farmer like they do in most other parts of the world."

He noted that rural profitability and environmental sustainability went hand in hand when the farmer was allowed to earn an income, but another rate layer on top of all the other imposts facing the rural sector would not lead to more protection for the environment.

"And, more critically, the rural community in the Lismore Council area had lost confidence in the willingness or ability of their local government to look after the rights and the interests of our farmers, or to efficiently manage the funds that they are already entrusted with," Mr Graham said.

Mr Zanette, who grows a great diversity of food on his red soil farm, said the 'disconnect' that many people had from the realities of agricultural production were obvious in this debate.

President of the Lismore Ratepayers Association, Andrew Gordon, said Jeff's farm was a perfect example of how farming and protection of biodiversity was already working, without further impost from rate variations and planning strategies.

"Rural concerns have been poorly received in this process," he said.

"No one disagrees with the need to maintain biodiversity but currently there is legislation dealing with that,

"But what we are hearing, is that the majority of people who actually pay rates in Lismore have had enough of the waste and inefficiencies within the council, and find it offensive that they are now asked to fund yet another scheme".

"Many options already exist for people who want to promote biodiversity on their land but the link between a biodiversity strategy and Councils arbitrary rezoning of private farmland to environmental zones is of great concern."

Meanwhile, Mr Graham said: "Biodiversity can't be measured. There is no baseline to work from and no target to work to. If you can't measure it, you can't manage it."

"Council had an opportunity to do something really innovative with regard to environmental enhancement and protection on rural land, however, as is always the case, councils' fall-back position, is yet more regulation."

The rate variation aims to raise $500,000 annually from an ongoing rate-rise that would affect urban and rural ratepayers.

But Mr Zanette says a budget of $500,000 would not even fund a proper roadside weed eradication plan, which is what most farmers 'would expect from their existing rates without an increase'.