TasFarmers Matters - Farmers tied up in red tape

FARMING can be a tough way to provide for your family.

Not only do farmers battle tough seasons, fluctuating prices and incomprehensible regulatory requirements, designed by mid level bureaucrats who couldn’t tell a cow from a car, but there are, quite frankly, silly regula tions and charges that add to farming costs for no apparent reason.

Some of it makes no sense at all.

As TasFarmers have said many times, the key focus for this election should be on helping farming businesses be more efficient, so farmers can sustainably employ more people and invest in regional Tasmania.

There is a window of opportunity for those seeking to be the next government to make a positive difference during the current state election campaign. Agriculture employs more people in regional Tasmania than any other part of the economy.

Remove farming employment, spending and investment from rural Tasmania, and our country towns and communities soon sink into obscurity.

The current state government has made significant noise leading up to the state election about reducing red tape and unfair cost impediments on business.

This is commendable, despite the point made by many farmers that this should be normal business, not something out of the ordinary or special. Some things government can do to make doing business easier for agriculture are very simple and are either cost-neutral or with little cost impact.

For example, the simple act of making all machinery have the same registration class and cost.

It shouldn’t matter one iota whether it is a telehandler, harvester or a tractor – just create one class of ‘road registered farm machinery’ and be done with it.

It will make the bureaucratic process much easier for farmers and the public service.

A quick survey of farmers will reveal just how many road-registered vehicles they manage.

One particular cropping farmer who spoke with us has five utes, four tractors, a tele handler, two side-by-sides, three trucks, a four-wheeler and a couple of cars.

All of which are registered at different times of year.

TasFarmers believes that if government is serious about reducing red tape burdens on business, it should introduce a fleet registration option, with a fleet registration discount, where all vehicles have their registration renewal at the one time of year that best aligns with the requirements of the business.

For simplicity and effectiveness, having one renewal for all your vehicles at the best cash flow time of year, such as the end of the financial year must surely be an initiative that government, and those seeking to get into government, should adopt.

Furthermore, the next government should immediately move to eliminate red tape restrictions on telehandlers and tractors with loaded fodder feeders to traverse and travel on public roads adjacent to and adjoining parts of working farms.

Few farms these days are confined within a road boundary – many adjoin other blocks that require moving fodder across or along public roads.

The nature of agriculture in Tasmania is that animals need feeding at least once a day for up to six months a year – 12 months in tough years.

To place any sort of restriction on moving fodder is simply counter-productive and not in the best interests of improving farm productivity.

The key principle here is helping farmers do business in the most effective and efficient manner, and government should do their bit by eliminating pointless regulations and reducing costs where it can. Tasmania’s future lies in a productive and efficient agriculture sector – the next government must make this their key priority.