THE Victorian Farmers Federation has expressed concern about the impact of
recently passed legislation that will further regulate chemical
use.
Victorian Farmers Federation president Peter Tuohey chose to introduce
the topic of chemical regulation to electoral candidates at the Mallee Election
Forum at Birchip last week, but was disappointed with the response.
Mr Tuohey
said that the candidates displayed a worrying lack of knowledge about chemical
regulation in Victoria.
The Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Legislation
Amendment Act 2013 was passed by parliament in June and commences July 1, 2014,
however the VFF is fighting the legislation.
In Victoria, the chemicals
distributed are put through rigorous testing, Mr Tuohey claimed, stating they
were not hazardous to the environment but rather are vital to production.
He
claimed that the horticulture and cropping industries would suffer most under
the new legislation.
Ian Hastings of Mallee Sustainable Farming agreed with
Mr Tuohey and said the cost of re-registration of chemicals would enter the
millions of dollars.
For more of this story, see Wednesday’s Guardian (July 10).
