Council wishes to remind primary producers in the Griffith Local Government Area about the correct use of scare guns.
In recent weeks, Council has received complaints from residents regarding the excessive use of scare guns during late evening and early hours of the morning.
Council's Director of Sustainable Development, Bruce Gibbs, acknowledges that scare guns play a vital role in many agricultural operations and are an integral part of rural life.
"Council supports the rights of primary producers to use scare guns, so long as their use is consistent with the management of noise in accordance with the NSW EPA Noise Guide for Local Government," Mr Gibbs said.
"Scare guns are to be used only by primary producers while growing a crop. This includes during the full growing season for that crop and up until the end of its harvest."
For primary producers employing scare guns when growing crops, Council encourages the following noise reduction and management measures:
- Consider alternatives to the noisy activity (e.g., protect crops with nets, kites shaped like birds of prey to protect crops instead of gas scare guns wherever practical to do so.)
- Change the activity to reduce the noise impact or disturbance (e.g., reorganise the way the activity is carried out).
- Schedule the noisy activity for less-sensitive times of day. There are different sensitive times of the day for different people: for example, schools are sensitive during the day, places of worship at times of religious services, and residences during evenings and nights. Where there are several noisy pieces of equipment, schedule operations so they are used separately rather than concurrently.
For example:
- scare guns only to be used between hours of 7am and sunset, and up to 30 minutes beyond the published time for sunset.
- the time interval between the discharges of scare guns should be no less than 2 minutes.
- Relocate the noise source away from receivers or at the greatest distance from the noise-sensitive area; or orient the equipment so that noise emissions are directed away from any sensitive areas, to achieve the maximum reduction of noise.
Examples for which this approach may be suitable include:
- changing the directions of a scare gun.
- scare guns are not to be directed towards or be operated within a 200-metre radius of any neighbouring dwelling. Wherever possible scare guns should be operated as far away as possible from any neighbouring dwelling.
Failure to do so will result in Council undertaking a compliance enforcement investigation process being initiated against you to take the actions necessary to comply with the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997.
Council appreciates your understanding and co-operation in this matter to ensure the amenity of the neighbourhood is maintained.
