Association president Jock Laurie says the decision by the NSW Government to split water from agriculture is of serious concern and needs to be reconsidered urgently.

Mr Laurie today sent a letter to the Premier outlining his concerns.

Under the reshuffle, the water component of the NSW Department of Water and Energy will fall under the new NSW Environment, Climate Change and Water Department, while the Department of Primary Industries will fall under the new Investment and Infrastructure Department.

“Water is a critical economic resource and, as 70 per cent of the water used in NSW is used for agriculture and industry, it belongs in the same Department as agriculture,” Mr Laurie said.

“Water has an essential role in the continued economic prosperity of agriculture.

"As we saw with the National Account Figures just last week, agriculture is one of the, if not the, strongest performing industry in the State, underpinning the State’s economy.

“While we acknowledge that the Department of Environment and Climate Change has a role to play in environmental water allocation and water quality, the majority of water policy is about allocating bulk water to industrial, agricultural and urban uses,” Mr Laurie said.

“On behalf of the Association, I have today called on the Premier to revise this decision and place the responsibility of the water function with the Department whose core expertise is industry: the new Industry and Infrastructure Department,” Mr Laurie said.