The Hodgman Liberal Government’s AgriVision 2050 Plan aims to achieve a tenfold increase in the value of Tasmania’s agricultural sector by 2050 and to achieve this farmers need to be able to get on with the business of farming.
Today, amendments to the Primary Industries Activities Protection (PIAP) Act 1995 passed in the lower house meaning we are on track to achieve this.
The Tasmanian Government’s election commitment to review the PIAP Act resulted in the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment receiving 16 submissions to the Review, all of which were all taken into consideration.
The PIAP Act was introduced in 1995 to protect farmers from the potential of being sued by new, usually non-farming neighbours for alleged ‘acts of nuisance’ when carrying out their day-to-day tasks of running a farming business.
The Government successfully amended the PIAP Act in the House of Assembly today to simplify and remove confusion about the ‘right to farm’ protection for primary producers.
The PIAP Act is not a substitute for a robust and well-managed planning system and the best way to resolve disputes is for neighbours to communicate in good faith and to work together.
The amendments will make it far clearer for farmers, and those who might seek to use frivolous or vexatious lawsuits to impede their operations, that responsible farmers have legislative protection to keep farming.
AgriGrowth Tasmania will also undertake a range of complementary activities to reduce the likelihood of land use conflict in rural areas through awareness raising and new information tools to prepare newcomers for the realities of rural life.
The Tasmanian Government continues to work with our farmers so that they are best placed to respond to short and long term and challenges to grow the economy and grow jobs in regional Tasmania.
More Media Releases from Jeremy Rockliff
More Media Releases from the Minister for Primary Industries and Water