Does the future of Mitchell Shire farming lie in large-scale, broadacre operations or with smaller, more flexible lots?
That was the question at the centre of a debate at Mitchell Shire Council’s December meeting as councillors voted to adopt a Rural Land and Activities Review, RLAR, as part of the Mitchell Planning Scheme.
Council officers and consultants developed the RLAR during the past three and a half years to provide a vision for the future of rural land in the shire, primarily that zoned for farming.
It also sets out a framework for further planning to guide the futures of small towns such as Tallarook, Tooborac, Pyalong and Waterford Park.
The draft plan received nearly 60 submissions, with 41 submitters requesting changes.
The most contentious aspect of the plan was a change to raise the minimum size of farming zone lots in the shire’s north-west from 40 hectares to 80 hectares.
People intending to build on property of less than 80 hectares would require a planning permit showing they intended to use the land for agricultural purposes.
Cr Rhonda Sanderson said the change would protect existing farms from encroaching subdivision that could put non-farming residents in conflict with farmers.
“There is a lot of pressure on our farmers, particularly from people who are moving to the shire looking for a quiet life but who don’t quite understand how farming works,” she said.
“There are an awful lot of absentee farmers already about the place, because there are a number of smaller lots in that area.
“Some of them are very good, but for a lot of them it’s a weekender, or maybe once a month, or maybe just for the Christmas holidays. Some bring dogs that escape and they’re unaware of things like fire risks. That’s the reality.
“In an ideal world everyone would look after their land beautifully and there would be no issues for the neighbours, but as I see it this is about protecting the right to farm.
“We’re not going to tell farmers what to do with their land, and a planning permit will only be triggered in certain circumstances.”
Cr David Lowe opposed the change, arguing smaller-scale properties provided more options for agriculture in the area.
“What we’re talking about is scale versus flexibility,” he said.
“The idea of the larger farm [being] more profitable, and therefore more worthwhile and sustainable in some ways is one side of the argument. The other side of the argument is that smaller blocks make for a more flexible farming community.
“The rural north-east currently has the 80-hectare minimum farm size with no subdivision below that, and yet it is the only area in the shire that is forecast to lose population over the next 20 years.”
Cr Lowe said he believed a report prepared by consultants included ‘some preconceived ideas about size that are not well supported by the arguments they put forward’.
“I think flexibility is the future of farming in this shire. We all know that farming profitability globally has been reducing over the years. Without flexibility we will lose more farms and more farmers,” he said.
Cr Nathan Clark also opposed, noting more varied farm-size arrangements in the greater Bendigo area.
“The smallest subdivision in the farm zone is limited to eight hectares and they’ve localised that along the faults where the Precambrian soil makes for better growing of vines,” he said.
“There could be some finer resolution on the subdivision here. There are clearly businesses that are very profitable and support farming at much smaller lot sizes.”
Cr Bill Chisholm, who owns a property in Tooborac, said he was likely to lose money as a result of the RLAR but had decided to support it after much debate.
“Some of the changes in the north-west where I live have been very contentious from both sides of the coin,” he said.
“I can see both sides. A lot of people lose a significant amount of money out of this and I’m one of those … that will possibly lose money through this, but by the same token you do need large-scale farming, and you don’t want farming forced out of Mitchell Shire.
“We have got to look at how we support larger-scale farmers, and many of these smaller blocks create problems with weeds spreading across the environment, domestic animals … [and] fire danger.
“The Ukraine situation has shown the importance of food, and there are so many people dying every day in this world. Australia needs to step up, protect its farmland and value it.”
The vote passed, with Crs Sanderson, Chisholm, Louise Bannister, Rob Eldridge and Mayor Fiona Stevens voting in favour and Crs Lowe and Clark against.
People can view the RLAR at engagingmitchellshire.com/rural-land.
