We say new federal environment laws have made it much harder for farmers to manage their own land, with many now facing confusing rules, costly assessments and the risk of severe penalties for everyday farming activities. Changes to the Federal…
We’re calling on the both the Federal and Victorian Governments to urgently commit $5 million to progress the Southern Wimmera and Northeast Pyrenees Water Supply Project, warning regional communities cannot afford further delays to critical drought resilience infrastructure. The proposed project would extend the…
The VFF UDV says the newly minted Safe Food Victoria must ensure transparent governance, appropriate oversight and clear accountability mechanisms are in place to ensure it delivers benefits for the Victorian dairy sector. VFF UDV President Bernie Free congratulated Mike…
We say the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) must now reveal what it intends to recommend after their recent release of the 2026 ‘What we heard’ report failed to outline the next steps. VFF Water Council Chair Andrew Leahy said the report accurately…
We say Victoria’s $25b dollar agriculture sector must not be forgotten in the face of a rapidly expanding data centre infrastructure boom sweeping the state. The VFF has today released an issues paper outlining the scale of potential development and competition for resources like land, water and energy. …
We’re aware that a case of H5 avian influenza has been confirmed in Western Australia and are working closely with government as the national response gets underway. While any detection of H5 is concerning, it is important to keep this in perspective.…
We’ve welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to increase the turnover threshold for access to small business capital gains tax (CGT) concessions from $2 million to $10 million, saying the change is a step in the right direction and will help deliver a fairer outcome…
We say the release of VicGrid’s Community Engagement and Social Value Guidelines represents a long-overdue acknowledgement of issues farmers and regional communities have been raising for years, but falls well short of delivering the binding protections landholders need. VFF President Ryan Milgate…
We say the Victorian Government has broken a pledge to release a full breakdown of how it intends to spend the $1.6 billion collected through the Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund (ESVF). VFF President Ryan Milgate said Victorian farmers, businesses and households had every right…
We’re pleased to formally announce the appointment of Jason Mellings as VFF Grains President, Dusty Pascoe as VFF Grains Vice-President and Avril Hogan as the VFF’s Special Skills Director on the VFF Board. The appointments bring together a wealth of…
For more than three decades, Chris O’Keefe has been a steadfast advocate for dairy farmers and rural communities across Victoria’s Western District. At the 2026 Victorian Farmers Federation Conference in Ballarat, Chris was recognised with one of the VFF’s highest…
We’re calling on the Victorian Government to immediately remove dingoes from Victoria’s threatened species protections, following the release of new genetic research that raises serious questions about the scientific basis underpinning current conservation policy. The call follows publication of the…