Heytesbury settlement concerns over Munich Re plantation

A prime slab of dairy land in southwest Victorian is being transformed into forestry, with farmers concerned the conversion could wipe their community off the map.

A moratorium on a mass buy-up of farmland in southwest Victoria is being urged by farmers concerned their community will be wiped off the map.

Earlier this year, German insurance giant Munich Re announced a multinational plan to convert hundreds of hectares into sustainable forestry, with Victoria’s Heytesbury region as one of the proposed sites.

The region, located in southwest Victoria, was cleared by the Bolte Government in 1960 for dairy land, one of the last large-scale land settlement schemes nationwide.

Munich Re’s $200m buy-up has been shrouded in secrecy with locals estimating 20 farms in the Simpson region had been snapped up by the insurance company.

Farmer Stephen ‘Pappy’ Hunt organised a meeting in Simpson last week, which attracted 150 attendees. He said farmers were concerned over the impact on the water table, invasive flora and fauna as well as property prices.

“We want a moratorium on this buy-up. Our agriculture ministers should be concerned about this and the impact it’ll have on the dairy industry and rural communities,” Mr Hunt said.

“Buying up farms at this rate – and we’re talking about 20 farms already – will wipe Simpson off the map. The town loses a footy team, there’s not enough people to support other local businesses. A moratorium is the only way to get the powers-that-be to take stock.”

Wannon MP Dan Tehan said the Foreign Investment Review Board had a role to examine the mass purchase

“The community deserves more transparency from the federal government on the size and scale of purchases in the Heytesbury settlement by Munich Re,” the Liberal MP said.

“There is certainly a role for the Foreign Investment Review Board to examine these purchases to work out whether they meet that national interest test.”

Apostle Whey Cheese owner Julian Benson said the relative lack of publicity surrounding the mass purchase of farmland was concerning.

“Australia as a country is throwing away its food security by allowing this mass buy-up of land to happen unchecked,” he said.

Heytesbury was one of the original counties as part of Victoria’s cadastral planning system and leant its name to the Heytesbury settlement, which was one of Australia’s last soldier-settlement schemes.