More rules will only create a divide

Zero Commission Livestock Selling - Agents and Private sellers, you can now sell your Livestock for free on Farm Tender. Check out how it works here.

To receive this newsletter in your inbox each day, just register with Farm Tender here.

By Dwain Duxson

More rules will only create a divide - We have had plenty of feedback on the "WA's right to Farm impeded" story we wrote last week. Farmers are worried about their future when decisions like this are made without any consultation. In fact, it's making some of them quite angry, which means it takes away the focus of the main game, running a Farm.

One Farmer said to me, "let's get together with the logistics industry and hold back all food and drink deliveries for a week and see how the general public goes. Starve the bastards", he said.

I've been thinking about the WA Act in particular and the extra rules about disturbing the soil, and having government people be the judge and jury will be hard to manage. These extra rules/laws will create divisions in the community, the dead opposite of what we are all trying to achieve, unity.

Farming is, at times, a spontaneous game, some decisions are made on the fly, and opportunities will be missed if Farmers are waiting around for a permit or a visit from a government official as to whether they can go ahead with a particular action or not. Many I spoke to said it would be only a matter of time before other state governments adopt something similar. I think this whole thing is unworkable and will create more problems than it's worth. Let's hope common sense prevails. 

End of message