Farmers focussing on forms not fields

THERE was a time when the bane of a primary producer’s life was pulling a recalcitrant bore, facing down an ornery beast or freezing in the elements on a cold, windy day.

But I can hear a collective groan throughout the country when just about any primary producer mentions October 1.

That’s the new deadline for rural bods to have completed their biosecurity plans.

It may well be the sheet (or ream) of paper that pushes your average farmer over the edge.

Follow that with the pest management plans required by some local authorities ... where a sum of money is added to rates notices of rural landholders ... with a portion of this being eligible for a rebate once landholders submit a pest management plan.

Don’t get me wrong, a biosecurity plan and a pest management plan are creditable objectives to have ... but they add to the increasingly onerous duties primary producers are required to carry out (without immediate financial rewards for their efforts).

Nobody wants their livestock to contract bovine Johne’s disease or any other incurable ailments but the requirements to fight it on paper can be daunting.

And it is a stretch for councils to require immediate action from farmers ... who have perhaps not received immediate actions from requests made to the council.

And, yes, there’s some salvation to be had in model plans – offered by agri-businesses and producer organisations.

But, let’s face it, some people like to work in the great outdoors while others prefer to sit in an office and stare at a screen, however, if you’ve opted for option A, chances are you’ll be carrying out option B more often.

Even after October 1, there’s paperwork to be done for all manner of tasks.

Just don’t forget to pay the registration of your trailers or ensure your brand remains current...

❝ I can hear a collective groan throughout the country when just about any primary producer mentions October 1.