Victoria Minister for Agriculture and Food Security Peter Walsh

Yarra Ranges Ban On Hail Nets Leaves Farmers Exposed

Victor P Taffa

Yarra Ranges Council must change its senseless policy restricting use of protective hail nets to ensure local farmers are better protected from damaging hailstorms, Minister for Agriculture and Food Security Peter Walsh said today.

Mr. Walsh toured the properties of Yarra Valley horticulturalists today to inspect the damage caused by recent storms.

Mr. Walsh and Member for Evelyn Christine Fyffe visited a strawberry farm in Coldstream and Rieschieck Orchard in Gruyere this morning before being joined by Member for Seymour Cindy McLeish to inspect De Bortoli Wines in Dixons Creek.

Mr. Walsh said it was upsetting to see tonnes of premium Yarra Valley fruit ruined by the marble sized hail that fell on Christmas Day.

“But what makes it more disappointing is that the damage could have been minimized except for stupid Yarra Ranges Council policies restricting use of protective hail nets.” Mr. Walsh said.

“For many growers, hail netting provides the best form of protection against hail, yet council policy limits orchardists in green wedge zones to covering a maximum of only 60 % of their trees in hail nets, meaning almost half their orchard is left exposed to storms.

“It is wrong that Yarra Ranges Council thinks it more important to give people in passing cars an unblemished green vista than to protect farmers’ crops from destruction.”

“Farmers should have the right to protect their entire orchards and their business.”

Mrs. Fyffe said the council needed to make supporting the local farming industry a higher priority to ensure it could survive into the future.

“The council is simply not supporting local farming enough.” Mrs. Fyffe said.

“There are many reasons why the farming industry should be encouraged: it brings economic value to the region, promotes tourism and maintains the lifestyle of local residents.”

Mr. Walsh said the council needed to urgently review its policy on hail nets in light of the recent hail damage and give farmers more flexibility in protecting their orchards.