Mornington Peninsula farm gates: Peninsula Fresh Organics, Hawkes Vegetables at risk
Some of the Mornington Peninsula’s best-loved producers say “outdated and nonsensical” rules around their farm gates — which some locals say they wouldn’t have survived lockdown without — may force them to close. Here’s why.
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Some of Melbourne’s most popular producers say they will be forced to close if “outdated and nonsensical” rules forbidding them to sell food sourced more than 5km from their property at their farm gates are enforced.
Mornington Peninsula Shire is pushing to enforce State Government laws allowing farmers to sell only produce grown or raised from their own property or from a direct neighbour.
The council has recently started investigating and prosecuting some farms for breaking the Green Wedge rules.
But operators of the region’s biggest and best-loved farm gates say they are not viable for them or their customers without going further to source goods.
Peninsula Fresh Organics co-owner Tash Shields said the farm gate at her Baxter property had been operating without issue since 2012.
Ms Shields acknowledged the business sold produce grown at a property she and husband Wayne also owned in Barham, NSW but it wasn’t possible to source all the certified organic fruit and vegetables needed locally.
She said her family would be forced to leave the region if restrictions were applied to what could be sold.
“The Baxter farm isn’t financially sustainable long term without the farm gate,” Ms Shields said.
Boneo spud farmer Richard Hawkes said he worked hard to ensure that most of the produce sold from his farm gate was from the peninsula.
“I do sell bananas, but the customers want them. They want to be able to come here and do a full shop,” Mr Hawkes said.
“And do we really want to be losing customers to Coles or Woolies over bananas?”
Mr Hawkes said most peninsula farms weren’t big enough to produce the volumes required to sell to major supermarkets and relying on farmers markets was not viable.
Farm gate owners have banded together to create Mornington Peninsula Farms and Farm Gates Inc to fight for fairer rules. They already have the support of prominent growers and producers in the region.
Main Ridge Dairy cheesemakers Bess and Damien Noxon said the farm gates provided a lifeline to many farmers whose markets had been critically reduced by the closure of restaurants.
Ms Noxon said they had suffered an 80 per cent fall in sales this year due to being unable to open their cafe and lost restaurant sales.
“We can’t simply shut our dairy operation down for a few months as we have hundreds of animals to be fed and a herd that needs to be kept in lactation,” Ms Noxon said.
“Selling our cheeses and milk to local farm gates has enabled us to keep the girls in milk and the factory ticking over until things reopen.”
Tuerong Farm’s Jason Cotter said farm gates helped him to grow his flour business and crop more land.
Mornington Peninsula Shire election candidate Paul Mercurio said the rules governing farm gates were “nonsensical and outdated”.
“I don’t understand why the council is choosing to enforce them now after turning a blind eye for years,” Mr Mercurio said.
But councillor David Gill said the Green Wedge rules were in place to protect genuine farm gates and ultimately the land they worked.
“We love our genuine rural farm gates but just a few see them as an opportunity to bring business models selling introduced goods to exploit perceived loopholes,” he said.
Mornington Peninsula Shire Planning and building director David Bergin said the council had received complaints about farm gates from the Green Wedge community.
“Unfortunately, to ensure compliance with relevant planning permits and the Mornington Peninsula Planning Scheme, when the operator is not willing to comply after a complaint is raised we must go to VCAT ro seek adherance with the permit or scheme,” Mr Bergin said.
The Victorian Government’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
(DELWP) is presently reviewing farm gate regulations as part of a wider strategic review of Green Wedge agricultural land.
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