Plan to sell school farms comes under fire

THE Tasmanian government is under fire for putting pressure on school principals to sell off the 29 school farms in the state.

Hagley Farm students

THE Tasmanian government is under fire for putting pressure on school principals to sell off the 29 school farms in the state to pay for future building and capital improvement needs.

A recent Education Department audit of all school farms, which the Labor-Greens state government is refusing to release after it went to cabinet, is understood to conclude that many are a drain on scarce resources and a liability risk.

Principals have been told that while sales will not be forced, 75 per cent of any sale proceeds will be returned to school coffers.

But the Primary Industries Education Foundation says it is appalled at the push to axe the popular farms in an apparent money grab.

Foundation national head Ben Stockwin said Tasmania lagged behind other states in encouraging and advancing agricultural education and careers.

Mr Stockwin, a former school principal, said despite positioning itself as a future food bowl, Tasmania remained the only state that does not offer agriculture as a Year 12 subject leading to university and could ill-afford to axe, reduce or discourage school farms.

The 29 registered farms attached to government schools vary in scale from a few hectares of grass adjoining a country primary school with some chickens and lambs, to the fully commercial dairy and free-range egg production farm and school camp of 63ha at Hagley School, near Launceston.

Questioned in budget estimates, Education Minister and Greens leader Nick McKim confirmed that while the government would not force school farm closures, it wanted to ensure schools were managing their land and assets "rigorously" and understood their legal obligations.

The audit is understood to have warned principals about the liability risks of operating farm machinery and vehicles in a school environment, as well as questioned the safety of dams, large livestock and even the growing of wine grape and morphine poppy crops on school farms.

The recent Tasmanian budget pruned capital funding allocated to government schools as the government took on new debt and predicted continuing deficits.

Hagley School principal Mick Davy said his school farm was much more than just a "feel-good exercise" that children from across Tasmania visit to get their hands dirty.

He said the farm was already self-funding, commercially productive and provided 4500 children annually with the chance to experience life on a farm in a practical, safe and knowledgeable way.