HOW far will $1.1 million go spread out across north Queensland helping cane and cattle farmers get their heads around new reef protection legislation?
Not very far according to CANEGROWERS chief executive officer Ian Ballantyne, who said the State Government shouldn't spruik about the value of funds that have been put aside to help both cane and cattle farmers affected by the updated Great Barrier Reef Protection legislation.
"The State Government shouldn't boast about the allocation of the money, what it will do will offset costs that we were already going to incur by just responding to and providing advice to our farmers," Mr Ballantyne said.
The new regulations come into play at the start of the new year and the Government has given CANEGROWERS $750,000 and Agforce $350,000 for them to help Queensland farmers comply with the legislation.
"I see the $750,000 to CANEGROWERS as a bit of a side show and we will be spending far more than that," Mr Ballantyne said.
Areas affected by the new legislation include Burdekin Dry Tropics, Mackay-Whitsunday and Wet Tropics catchments.
The State Government has committed $50 million over five years to implement the Reef Protection package which will cover costs of compliance, education and monitoring and evaluation programs.
Changes for farmers and graziers in these areas have started, with producers required to keep records of fertiliser and pesticides used on their properties effective from the start of this month.
On July 1, farmers will be required to hold qualifications in preparing and applying chemicalsm, and as of October 1 grazing enterprises over 2000ha in the Burdekin Dry Tropics and cane farms growing over 70ha of cane in the Wet Tropics must lodge their environmental risk management plans.
Agforce president John Cotter said the $350,000 they received would assist with education programs but the Government still needed to be involved.
"We deliver a far more effective return for the dollar through industry bodies like ours than the Government itself and we get a better return," Mr Cotter said.
"However that doesn't alleviate Government and I can assure you they won't be let off the hook.
"I guess you could say there is never enough money but what we have to make sure is that Government is doing their part in this from an extension point of view to compliment what Agforce will be doing with regards to management plans."
Mr Cotter said the money would help put people on the ground to help farmers understand what the requirements were with regards to the new legislation, and ensure the process complemented their day to day management.
"We will be planning more in the new year with face to face workshops and then some on the ground modelling," he said.
"I'm a strong believer that we should make sure it is continually output driven and I'm not at all interested in something that is done for the sake of done, it's got to have some productive and environmental benefits."
He said the Government had realised there was a better outcome from working with industry and said the approach they had taken was positive compared with the recent vegetation management battles.
"This is a small step in which there has been a reasonably different view of which we engage compared to the old vegetation way where it was all about enforcement and being at war," Mr Cotter said.
"I believe we can enhance production and conservation value at the same time if we can walk together."
For cane growers facing new regulations, Mr Ballantyne said it was a hazy time because the legislation was rushed and the Government hadn't properly decided how the extension and education programs for farmers would work.
"We are a long way short from this program being fully developed and farmers understanding what it is they are to do," Mr Ballantyne said.
"We are receiving $1.1m to assist farmers but we need to know what the rules are to tell the farmers and I think there is a bit of water to go under that bridge yet."
He said farmers starting to fertilise at the moment weren't sure how to do it within regulations.
"Farmers are to apply nutrients in accordance with CANEGROWERS recommended practise because there was a thing to be developed called a nutrients calculator and we haven't seen that yet," Mr Ballantyne said.
"We won't understand clearly what obligations farmers now have properly until the end of 2010."
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