Jan Davis: No need to fear if we clear

We are approaching a very important deadline for agriculture in Tasmania. In January 2015, farmers will no longer be able to convert forested areas on their properties to pasture or any other form of agriculture.

This imminent ban on land management options has been lost in the smoke of the other forests battlefronts that flared. However, while others may have forgotten; we have not.

Let me refresh your memories.

The Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement of 1997 sought to end broadscale clearing and conversion of native forest on both public and private lands. As part of that agreement, the then government introduced legislation that required that by January 1 2015 at least 95 per cent of the native forest area that existed in 1996 before that forest agreement came into force must be maintained; and from then, no more clearing of land would be permitted. As I understand it, the ban on clearing includes not only native trees but also introduced species used for wood production, such as pines and mainland eucalypts.

When the policy was first introduced, the clearance rate was 12,000-16,000ha a year. However, that rate has fallen dramatically over recent years. The ban on clearing of public forests was implemented in 2010; and the rate of clearing on private land has also dropped dramatically since then. According to the latest information from the Forest Practices Authority, at current rates of conversion the forested area will remain well above the 95% threshold as at January 2015.

In part, the conversion ban was implemented to conserve the biodiversity of remnant forests in Tasmania.

As you know, through the TFA and other mechanisms, over 52% of the State is now conserved in public ownership. There is strong consensus that this coverage ensures that this ensures protection of high conservation value areas and threatened species; as well as maintenance of representative samples of all important ecosystem types across the state.

Farming activities are already governed by a plethora of legislation, much of which is designed to protect the environment – including the federal government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act; the state government’s Nature Conservation Act and Forestry Practices regulations; and local council conditions on developments. These multi-layered regulations have resulted reservation of extensive biodiversity areas on private land – in addition to the areas conserved in public ownership.

So, on this basis, it is clear that the original intent which underpinned the conversion ban no longer has any basis in fact. Given the very substantial increase in reserved areas, and the further areas of protection ensured through other legislation, it is clear that biodiversity in Tasmania has a level of protection that is unequalled in any other jurisdiction around the world.

Yet the demand from activists for ever more lockups via various mechanisms continues unabated.

This outcome works completely against the opportunities for agricultural diversification and economic growth that are emerging with the strengthening of our farming sector and the rollout of irrigation across the state. Unfortunately these opportunities will come to a halt if the proposed conversion ban proceeds next year.

On the one hand, farmers are being encouraged to invest in irrigation schemes to enable increased high value production; and governments are talking up the capacity of Tasmania to become a national food bowl.

On the other, governments are closing off options for future farm expansion; and burdening the sector with more and more regulations that are making it virtually impossible for farmers to compete with their mainland peers, let alone imported products, and remain financially viable.

Private land is just that – private. Farmers should be able to manage their own lands and farming operations without more and more overlays of heavy-handed and unjustified regulatory interference. If farmers are expected to carry the cost of even more environmental protection activities, then the community must pay for this impingement on their property rights.

Agriculture is one of the few bright economic spots in our state economy, and our sector is poised for a further growth spurt. Yet there are severe restrictions on our potential to achieve this growth – not least, this ban on expanding agricultural production areas.

Things have changed a lot in Tasmania since the 2015 conversion ban was introduced almost 20 years ago. More than half the state is already protected in reserves; and these protected areas continue to expand. Expectations that farmers will continue to bear the cost of even more environmental expectations are unfair and unjustified. The 2015 conversion ban must be overturned.
TFGA chief executive Jan Davis