Bundarrah Days

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is appalled by recommendations handed down by the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC), in its River Red Gum Forest Investigation Report.

VFF President Simon Ramsay said that if the Victorian Government wanted a list of ambit claims and ill-thought out, impractical recommendations it could bypass VEAC and go straight to the environmental lobby, saving millions of dollars”.

“These recommendations amount to a ‘lock up and leave’ mentality which is failing both the Victorian community and the environment, with pest, weed and bushfire problems now reaching a crisis point,” Mr Ramsay said.

“The Victorian Government would be ill-advised to follow the VEAC recommendations, which suggest an increase in national parks and the systematic reduction/removal of grazing and timber harvesting from reserves,” he said.

“In the past leaseholders worked collaboratively with traditional owners, government and the community to determine the best management of forest areas. Under the VEAC recommendations this local knowledge, decision making and management will be lost to the detriment of the environment as well as the community,” he said.

“In practical terms the removal of grazing from many water frontages is impossible as the private- public boundary is situated on a floodplain and therefore cannot be fenced,” Mr Ramsay said.

“VEAC’s request for 4000 gigalitres of water to flood the River Red Gum forests is completely unrealistic,” he said.

“The VFF believes VEAC has once again failed to make a holistic and rational assessment of a complex environmental, social and economic issue. Instead it has followed predetermined outcomes and ideologies."