The vegetation management issue is not a city vs country issue but has the potential to compromise the access all Queenslanders have to locally grown fruit and vegetables.
Let us reflect for a moment on some facts:
Each year, for the past 20 years, 5700ha of prime agricultural land has been lost to urbanisation. Under the current vegetation management laws, 56ha/year has been cleared for horticulture. We are not calling for a halt to urbanisation but we cannot have a situation where land available to grow nutritious food is being reduced at an enormous rate and simultaneously remove any mechanism for growers to expand their production elsewhere if we want to maintain current levels of food production.
Secondly, we are not talking about broad-scale clearing of large areas. We are talking about small parcels of land (maximum 30ha) being cleared to improve production on existing farms. In many cases, our growers effectively modify their farms so their overall environmental footprint is reduced.
Thirdly, we already have tightly regulated provisions within the Vegetation Management Act for High Value Agriculture (HVA) and IHVA (Irrigated High Value Agriculture). We are open to negotiation on even stricter conditions, provided we do not lose the capacity to expand altogether.
Finally, let us dismiss the rationale provided by the government for removing the provision for HVA and IHVA, which is to reduce carbon emissions. Perspective is needed here – the minuscule reduction (18 cars worth) of potential emissions is not worth squandering the growth potential of a whole sector.
Horticulture is extremely high value with returns for some crops up to $40,000/ha and the industry has significant potential for growth and access to new export markets. Demand for Australian produce is high and Queensland is well placed to take advantage of the dining boom across Asia.
Growcom is calling on the Queensland Government to reinstate the permit system for clearing of HVA and IHVA land (HVA) in the interests of consumers and growers, and consult with industry to develop sensible conditions that manage the government's concerns and provide certainty for our growers.