08/02/2010_Tasmanian farmers ask the election questions
Published: 08/02/2010
Tasmanian farmers ask the election questions
Tasmanian farmers today issued the state’s three major political parties with a 15-part questionnaire on their agricultural policies in the lead-up to the March 20 election.
The questions cover the range of rural concerns:
- the impact of the federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity and Conservation (EPBC) Act on Tasmanian farming rights and practices;
- the acceleration of water licensing and dam approval processes;
- the clear identification of a Tasmanian Brand for rural commodities and the enforcement of truth-in-labelling laws;
- the creation of agricultural reserves that establish the right for certain areas of land to be farmed;
- a review of the ban on genetically-modified crops; closer management of weed introduction to the state and their spread.
TFGA president David Gatenby said farmers had asked for responses from the three parties by February 19. They would be independently audited and the results made public.
“We are not going to tell farmers how to vote,” Mr Gatenby said.
“They can make up their own minds. This might help them do so.
“As an organisation, we have to know where the parties stand on these issues.”
The TFGA has a membership of 3100 Tasmanian agricultural enterprises, responsible for one in five jobs in Tasmania.
Contact:
David Gatenby 0418 562 150