THE Labor Government’s proposed vegetation management laws will not only significantly impact landholders’ businesses but regrowth control specialists are also at risk.
With less producers able to manage regrowth and woody weeds on their property and more land being taken by Labor’s laws, the regrowth specialist’s area to work with could decrease.
Information from the electorate office of Member for Gregory, Lachlan Millar, stated new mapping layers extends Category B areas and Category C to freehold land, and indigenous freehold land with an additional 862,000ha of high value regrowth and water course to buffer to all reef catchment, Burnett, Mary, Fitzroy, Eastern Cape York.
We are not going to survive on fresh air.
- Michael Taylor, independent vegetation consultant, Wallumbilla
Wallumbilla’s Michael Taylor is an independent vegetation consultant, travelling across Queensland, and uses granular aerial applications to help clients control regrowth.
A 161 hectare paddock of wattle suckers in his local area (pictured) was given an application last year to try and regain grass production.
The landholder was preparing to lock the paddock up completely due to the vegetation choking out any grass or nature growth.
Since then, pasture has returned and in 12 months time Mr Taylor predicts it will be a highly productive block for cattle.
Mr Taylor said without regrowth control most of this country would lose 50 per cent or better of its production in five to seven years.
As one of the food bowls of Australia, he said it was vital that producers could manage their country and supply products.
“We are not going to survive on fresh air, as such, people have got to eat and that’s what we do, we create food,” he said.
“If you want to be a beef producer you have got to be a damn good pasture producer.
“Most farmers are not environmental vandals.”
Mr Taylor said controlling regrowth suckers allowed rural landholders to grow more grass and minimise run off and soil erosion.