FEDERAL Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has threatened a Senate inquiry into Queensland’s vegetation laws unless the Palaszczuk government ends the confusion surrounding the use of mulga as feed source.
Mr Littleproud said he was gravely concerned that Queensland farmers say are they being stopped by the new laws from using mulga as a feed source for starving livestock.
“Farmers in Western Queensland have pushed mulga to use as a feed source for stock during drought for generations,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Now they tell me they’ve had a third of that feed source cut during this drought by the Queensland Labor Government.
“Losing that much input would hurt any business in any industry.”
However, Mr Littleproud said he had been told by Queensland Natural Resources Minister Anthony Lynham that the claims being made by farmers were incorrect.
“I take him at face value,” Mr Littleproud said.
“If this is the case, then I ask him to take Jackie Trad the real architect of these laws and Premier Palaszczuk to go out and sit at farmers’ kitchen tables and explain it to them.
“Tell them they’ve nothing to fear from feeding mulga scrub to their stock. Talk to them face to face.
“They need to go and sit down with people Jacquie and Cameron Tickell from Rylstone in Charleville and clear up the confusion, if that’s what it is.
“Or Stephen and Annabell Tully who the PM and I visited this week in Quilpie.
“If Queensland farmers can continue to farm the way they have for generations then fantastic, tell them about it.”
“If the Queensland Government doesn’t go and clear up the confusion, the Federal Senate could possibly set up an inquiry into Queensland’s vegetation laws.
“I’d much prefer that didn’t need to happen.”