Farmers fear proposed government restrictions will 'decimate' business
Although Australia's agriculture industry is worth more than $60 billion, some Aussie farmers say their businesses could soon be decimated.
A group of New South Wales farmers have spoken out over fears they'll be financially crippled after recently learning about the state government's proposed new regulations on agrifarm businesses.
The proposed regulations could see farm stay and fruit picking businesses forced to decrease the number of visitors they have on their properties.
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But some of the farmers who spoke to A Current Affair said they rely on income from their tourism businesses, to run their farms and they currently operate under a home business.
When a meeting was called at the local town hall recently - in the Dooralong Valley on the NSW Central Coast - residents like Jack Schlachter said they knew something wasn't right.
Schlachter owns Cedar Farm and welcomes hundreds of people a day to pick their own fruit in his orange orchard from the 3000 trees on the property.
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But under the draft changes Schlachter would only be allowed 50 people a day to visit his farm.
"When I found out, my head was spinning, my head was literally spinning for a day, I could not believe what I had seen," Schlachter said.
"If I am allowed 50 people on my property at a time, it is literally 10 per cent of what I would have had in the past.
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"It will decimate my business."
He said without visitors picking fruit, a lot of it will fall to the ground and rot, which is an awful thought for him when the cost of food keeps going up.
"It will reduce my income by a substantial amount - 60 to 70 per cent," Schlachter said.
At The Giving Farm you can pick your own berries and fresh fruit and vegetables.
"For us, it is about connecting people with how food is grown and how they can grow food at home as well and how animals are cared for," Missy Caufield from The Giving Farm said.
She said if they're only allowed to open to the public 10 days a year, it won't be viable.
"We could see the proposed draft and we realised it was going to completely stop our business and that's just devastating," Caufield said.
Elizabeth Elvim operates a farm stay and under the draft policy she will only be allowed to accommodate two people at a time.
"(If) we get a family of five, two people at a time, what's the point?" Elvim said.
For alpaca farmer Sean Hooper, school visits won't be allowed.
"Children will no longer be able to see where their food and fibre comes from," Hooper said.
"People with disabilities thoroughly enjoy the sensory experience that will now come to an end.
"It will spell the end of agritourism here, it will spell the end of a lot of small farmers and their way of life and way of earning an income and putting food on the table."
The residents said the draft legislation will shut their businesses down.
It features 23 pages of new restrictions that will see these farmers lose their livelihoods overnight, including those like Matt Allen and his family who run his mother's roadside stall
"It just would be hard to make a living from farming," Allen said.
In a statement the NSW Department of Planning and Environment said it proposed simplifying planning rules to make it easier for farmers across NSW to start, run and grow an agritourism business.
The department is currently reviewing all feedback and submissions received during the consultation period and will be adjusting the policy where needed, which should be finalised by the end of July.
James Jackson from the NSW Farmers Association said his organisation will keep talking to the government.
"Certainly we will keep looking at those existing operations and making sure that we don't throw the baby out with the bath water on this one," Jackson said.
Business owners like Elvim have a message for the state government: "Just don't do it, you're going to shut so many businesses down.
Statement by a spokesperson for the NSW Department of Planning and Environment
The draft Agritourism and small scale agricultural changes policy was announced in March last year.
It proposed simplifying planning rules to make it easier for farmers across NSW to start, run and grow an agritourism business.
The department is currently reviewing all feedback and submissions received during the consultation period and we will be adjusting the policy where needed. This should be finalised by the end of July.
We will continue to work through the policy with farmers, councils and businesses to make sure we get it right so agritourism is easier and clearer for all.
