Farmers and graziers to help protect reef

The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) is assisting cane farmers’ and graziers’ efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

Environment Minister Dr Steven Miles said EHP had a renewed compliance program for the government’s reef protection regulations.

“Having worked with industry to shape this program, EHP officers are now contacting landholders and arranging property visits to provide information and education on best practice management and the reef regulations,” Dr Miles said.

The reef regulations came into play in 2010. 

“The regulations apply to cattle grazing on properties of more than 2000 hectares and all commercial sugarcane farming in the Burdekin Dry Tropics, Mackay Whitsunday and Wet Tropics catchments,” Dr Miles said.

“They are in response to scientific evidence that significant quantities of fertiliser, pesticides and sediment from broad-scale agriculture are entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon, risking serious long-term effects on the reef’s health.

“Despite what the LNP's Andrew Cripps might say, positive rates of coral recovery do not mean we can relax our efforts to address water pollution.

“The science is abundantly clear: reducing the amount of pollution that enters the reef lagoon is crucial to maintaining the reef’s long-term health, including building its resilience to recover from events like the mass coral bleaching we are currently witnessing”.

Dr Miles said the upcoming compliance program would help cane farmers and graziers who were yet to make improvements in their on-farm practices, particularly in areas where there were high fertiliser, sediment and pesticide losses.

“Our highest priority at this stage is to assist cane farmers to increase their adoption of soil testing practices and to ensure they follow the regulated standards for nitrogen and phosphorus fertiliser application in the Wet Tropics and Burdekin.

“I want to stress the compliance program is not about catching people out.

“It’s about communicating and educating.

“We want to ensure that farmers and graziers understand what’s required under the reef protection regulations and work with them to meet these requirements.”

Dr Miles said the government recognised and applauded the “good performance” of cane farmers and graziers that had already adopted best practice through initiatives such as the Smartcane Best Management Practice (BMP) program and the Grazing BMP program.

“If you’re already a BMP-accredited cane farmer or grazier you will not be a focus of this compliance program.

“However, we will continue to support the industry’s efforts in increasing the number of BMP-accredited cane framers and graziers, and the wider adoption of regulated standards,” Dr Miles said.

Information on the compliance program, reef protection regulations and Smartcane and Grazing BMPs is available at www.qld.gov.au/farminginreefcatchments.

“The State Government is placing advertisements in a number of print media outlets from this Saturday advising cane farmers and graziers in central and north Queensland about the upcoming compliance program,” Dr Miles said.

ENDS

Media contact: 0422 580 342