Fighting for a Fair System
Over 30 years ago the VFF in partnership with the State Government created Landcare – a now global program that recognises landholder stewardship and facilitates community contribution to community benefit.
VFF wants to not only ensure that the founding principles of Landcare – ‘good for the farm and good for the environment’ – are returned to, but that this concept is reinvigorated across all areas on the principles of community resources to assist landholders provide a community environmental benefit.
Farmers need certainty to support their investment in biodiversity and management of invasive species. For instance money invested in controlling weeds on one side of the fence is wasted if the landholder on the other side is not undertaking control.
Isolated paddock trees are a big issue for farmers. Whilst old trees provide native habitat diversity, they also pose significant risk (operator safety) and reduce automation competitiveness by limiting the ability to utilise driverless/GPS technology, along with lower productivity due to soil moisture availability.
VFF seeks:
- proper funding of invasive species and overly abundant wildlife at regional / landscape level and across all tenures for both economic and biodiversity outcomes;
- resourced good neighbour programs where private and public landholders discuss required action for fire management, pest animal and weed management and habitat linkages – and the crown can implement actions on crown land or stemming from crown land;
- development of simple to access biodiversity and climate certification schemes creating an income stream for farmers taking action to provide community outcomes;
- regulatory support for the development and implementation of technology – for example creation of landscape scale native vegetation precinct plans to allow proactive revegetation that works for the farm and ‘linkages’ then facilitating removal of some paddock trees impacting on ability to use GPS agriculture.
Further Information
For further information and advice about the VFF’s natural resource advocacy, VFF members can call the VFF Policy Team on 1300 882 833 or email [email protected].