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NSW proposes jail terms for farm trespassing
Paul Brescia
NSW has followed Queensland and the Federal Government in moving to introduce jail terms for farm invaders, who would risk three years in prison for disrupting businesses.
The bill introduces a $22,000 fine, up from $5500, alongside a three-year jail term.
Responding to the increase in organised groups targeting livestock industries, the bill introduces new offences and aggravating factors for activities such as trespassing as a group, damaging property and releasing livestock and tampering with farm gates and ramps.
Speaking on the impacts of protests, NSW Minister for Agriculture, Adam Marshall, has said, “Most recently we have seen extreme anti-farm groups hold protests in NSW, Queensland and Victoria.
“I strongly condemn such activity. This type of behaviour is disgusting, is incredibly dangerous and risks the welfare and safety of our farmers, their families and their animals. Farmers are already under intense pressure due to the drought and don’t need any extra stress caused by illegal farm incursions.
“More importantly, illegal trespass activity threatens our state’s reputation of producing some of the finest foods and fibres in the world, potentially comprising on-farm biosecurity, resulting in significant economic losses to rural and regional communities.”
The Minister says the changes would
ensure NSW had the toughest penalties in Australia for farm trespass, including
new offences that do not exist in any other State or Territory.
“The community has had a gutful of farm
invasions and have said existing penalties of up to $5,500 in fines are just a
slap on the wrist. We’ve listened to that and will now establish the toughest
possible penalties in the nation for farm invasions.
“If you’re farming legally, and have so for many
years, you’re not going to cop a nuisance claim and potential legal action just
because some folks from the city moved next door and decided they didn’t like
the sound of your dairy cows.”
The Liberal party says the bill also introduces legal recognition of a farmer’s right to farm, shielding them from nuisance complaints, claims and legal action from their neighbours and other third parties.
Interestingly, the Right to Farm bill shares its name with the ‘Right to Farm’ policy , introduced under the NSW Coalition Government in 2015, which legislated responsibility for farmers and those living in rural areas, noting, “The Government supports primary producers in their right to farm. However, the right to farm only extends to what is lawful.
“This means compliance with the legislation and regulations that govern, for example, land uses, uses of chemicals, intensity and timing of lights and noise and management of odours. The suite of rules applies equally to all land users, including rural lifestyle land owners who, like farmers, have obligations in relation to management of weeds, pests and other biosecurity risks.”
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Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
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