Victorian government to scrutinise farmland development policies

Sweeping reforms of agricultural land development and the creation of a Minister for Food are just a few recent recommendations to better protect Victorian food security.

Protections around development of Victoria’s prime agricultural land are in need of a major overhaul, with greater provisions to guard farmland from residential and tourism developments.

Those are the findings of a report tabled this week to the Victorian parliament as part of an ongoing inquiry into the state’s food security.

But industry leaders are urging the government to include Victorian producers in the adoption process, to best represent the needs of farmers.

The Legislative Assembly Environment and Planning Committee report, Securing the Victorian food supply, made a number of sweeping recommendations to protect Victoria’s productive land, including:

AGRICULTURE Victoria should update its analysis of agricultural land use trends, with a focus on changes to agricultural land use in peri-urban areas;

CREATION of a Minister for Food;

PROVIDE local governments with mapping and analysis of agricultural land uses and trends in their municipalities;

STRENGTHEN planning policy imperative for protecting agricultural land from inappropriate development; and

PROHIBITING subdivision of small lots below the minimum lot size in the farming zone, rural activity zone, rural conservation zone, green wedge zone and green wedge zone A within 100km of Melbourne, Bendigo, Ballarat, and Geelong.

The report also found residential development has brought farmers and residential landowners closer together and increased conflicts between the two arising from farm odours, dust, and noise.

Eganstown pig farmer, Tammi Jonas.

Eganstown pig farmer and Food Sovereignty Alliance spokesperson Tammi Jonas said overall the recommendations were pleasing, and validated concerns farmers have voiced for years.

“We’re really pleased to see the focus on protection of agricultural land. Inappropriate development has impacted not only small-scale farms but the farming sector broadly,” Ms Jonas said.

“If we can get that right, it’ll make a huge difference.”

Ms Jonas said the government needed to ensure farmers were in the room when adopting the recommendations “to make sure they know what this looks like”.

“We need smallholders’ voices in there when they implement this,” Ms Jonas said.

AusVeg chair and Somerville vegetable grower Paul Gazzola said farmers have faced myriad challenges in recent years, including logistic issues that come with planning and zoning of farmland.

“The majority of people in our industry are here for the long haul, they’re putting up with this, having to adapt and survive to keep their business going with no help from government in any way,” Mr Gazzola said.

“We seem to be the whipping boys, but we’re pushing back on a few things.

“As long as they talk to us about it, and not just come up with ideas of what their concerns are.

“Farmers are starting to have more of a voice.”