NSW 
Farmers 
Association

Please describe how native vegetation and biodiversity/threatened species laws have impacted on your:

Farming practices (your day to day operations)
This whole native vegetation situation has put undue pressure on all our farming practices. It makes our whole farm management long term plan useless.

Productivity (ability to develop existing or new land)
When confronted with woody weed and eucalyptus seedling invasion you don’t know where to start and with hard weather condition and no extra finance available it has nearly been impossible to control.

Sustainability (the ability to improve your land and the environment)
Salinity has never been a problem in the Bogan R Catchment area. Government tests were taken from Salt Springs area near Gongolgan which were first discovered and recorded by explorer R Cunningham. Repeated water testing by Bogan Shire sending samples to Orange have all come back good. The department won’t recognise this fact.

Property vales and returns
Depending on seasonal conditions and leaving 15% uncleared but managed. This form of government interference has and will cost us a halving of income by fat lambs, grass seed problems, crop, limits us to one area. No improved pastures – less woolcut – less money for surplus sheep – smaller lambing %. Property values on uncleared areas about 40% down. 

Investment patters (either on- or off-farm)

Because of this problem we can not make enough money to invest off farm. The pattern is that anyone who has less than 1/3 cleared and managed properly will go broke.

Sustainability (the ability to improve your land and environment)
This has been stopped. Erosion and loss of good native grasses through invasion of woody weeds and eucalyptus seedlings has and will continue to affect any ability to improve the land or environment. All this land will be good for is running feral goats, foxes and rabbits. Another use would be to show groups of school and uni students had to stuff up and degrade a very fertile and useful piece of NSW.

Name: Ian M. Hamblin
Address: NSW