Corangamite Shire Council has called for common sense to rule as the Federal Government and Opposition go toe-to-toe in the battle between farms and timber plantations.
The Federal Opposition this week said it would introduce a Bill to prevent the Government-funded Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) from helping companies buy farmland to plant trees as carbon emission offsets.
Mayor Kate Makin called on both the Government and Opposition to put the future wellbeing of farming communities first.
"Council recognises the need for practical action to reduce emissions, and to produce timber for future use, but plantations have to be in the right place.
"This is a big country and there are plenty of places where growing timber can benefit the surrounding communities without putting a hole in a healthy local economy.
"Corangamite is a renowned agricultural district producing a large percentage of Australia's milk, beef, lamb, grain, and wool.
"Agriculture accounts for about 2,500 local jobs, and food manufacturing for another 500. That's about a third of the Shire's working population and doesn't include workers in related trades transport, warehousing, and professional services.
"Plantations employ far fewer staff but need far more land to produce the same level of economic contribution.
"Locking up land where there is little or no economic benefit to our economy and community will be devastating for a whole generation of workers and families."
"It's vital that we manage competing land uses and avoid fragmentation of our prime agricultural land."
In 2024 Council adopted 'Grow Corangamite: Sustaining our Agriculture Future', a 20-year strategy to future-proof the Shire's thriving agricultural economy.
Priorities include:
- Protecting the Shire's strategically significant agricultural land
- Avoiding fragmentation of agricultural land
- Avoiding land use and development that may impact and constrain the operation of and investment in agricultural enterprises.
The strategy says the economic contribution of timber production in Corangamite is modest:
- Agriculture contributes 45% of economic output, 38% of jobs and 70% of exports.
- Forestry contributes 0.4% of output, 0.3% of jobs and 0.4% of exports.
It goes on to state: "Timber plantations also generate most of their economic output at establishment and harvest, with much lower output generated by annual maintenance and periodic thinning.
"There is concern within the community that timber plantations consume important agricultural land, that the excision of farm dwellings from timber production properties is creating isolated rural residences, and that this industry shift is driving a loss of farming families, having a broader negative impact on the community.
"There is also concern that plantations present an increased bushfire risk, damage roads and bridges and encourage pest and weed incursion."
The full strategy can be found at corangamite.vic.gov.au/Grow-Corangamite.
