Managing the mulga
Vegetation laws affect farmers
THIS week in Rural Weekly we get the low down on the new vegetation clearing laws affecting Queensland farmers.
SCOTT Sargood has become an advocate for Queensland’s mulga country, doing his best to stop further restrictions on mulga management.
Located between Charleville and Morven, Mr Sargood uses the mulga trees as fodder for the cattle on his 34,400 hectare property during the drought. The Vegetation Management and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2018 introduced late last week foreshadows the scrapping of agriculture permits, scrapping the thinning code, amendments to other self-assessable codes, and the protection of regrowth vegetation.
Interim codes have already been introduced to reduce vegetation clearing.
Mr Sargood said there would be a number of consequences if the Queensland Government implemented its plan for tighter restrictions on mulga clearing.
“We’ve been using the mulga tree since settlement out here and we haven’t ruined anything yet. It’s totally sustainable,” Mr Sargood said.
“Everyone just thinks broadscale clearing is right across the board. You just level your paddocks. And every time someone sees trees pulled down they think it’s broadscale clearing.
“Fodder harvesting isn’t broadscale clearing. It’s mulga management. It’s managing the trees. Because if they aren’t managed they get so thick they choke themselves out.
“And then it’s no good for native birds, its no good for domestic stock and it’s no good for the environment because with no grass under the trees erosion takes over.
“Eventually you’ll have no trees at all. If we don’t manage them we’ll end up with none.”
For this and more get Rural Weekly in tomorrow’s The Chronicle.