An angry group of Bellinger Valley residents have vowed not to give up their fight to stop the expansion of two dairy farms at Raleigh, south of Coffs Harbour.
A New Zealand based dairy company wants approval to establish a 1800 cow operation on a floodplain.
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Listen carefully, all these hyped up greenies use a lot of ‘I think, I think, I think’. Where are the facts? They don’t know, because they don’t have any (as usual)!
It is a common MISCONCEPTION that farmers do anything in their power to ruin the environment. Why don’t peolpe realise that farmers DEPEND on the environment to run their business (dirty word, I know, but some of us actually like to work and make money)? Farmers know they depend on the environment, and that is why they look after it. Like investing in a large concrete pad to keep cows off the paddock in a flood. Not cheap, but in my eyes (well informed, intelligent and not hyped up by emotions eyes) a brilliant solution!
Thank god Andrew Fraser keeps his head cool!
As for the guy in the yellow overalls, take your child inside if you are so worried about the spray. Better disconnect all the power in your house too, as the electromagnetic field it produces is bad for you. And never, ever use a cellphone, cause those microwaves toast your brain! Maybe you should join the Amish, to be perfecly safe without any modern stuff.
These people obviously have nothing better to do than sit on their arse all day and complain about other people doing their jobs. Maybe they can make themselves useful and go up to Brisbane to help with the clean up and when that is done go to Christchurch NZ to help with the clean up there.
Ms Hartog, for someone who claims to be ‘not hyped up by emotion’, you seem to be very upset about all this.
I’m really glad that this issue is getting some news airtime. Local residents too often don’t have their voice heard. If there are serious concerns then they should be discussed openly, and if the farmers can address those issues properly then it will be resolved.
Just sick and tired of people who always point the finger at farmers for being the bad guys. Farmers work 7 days a week, often more than 10 hour a day, so don’t have time for lengthy discussions with badly or non informed people. If they get their facts straight first, these discussions could be productive. But that is not their aim, they just want to make trouble. This is tall poppy syndrome: “Look this guy has some big ideas, let’s chop his head off! ”
And yes, I am a farmer too! And proud of it!
What actual facts have these greenies got to determine the outcome of the proposal.Perhaps they need to dig a bit deeper and investigate why a disgruntled ex-employee has instigated this witch hunt and stirred everyone up.This region should be grateful that a company with proven expertise has chosen this area to bring economic opportunity to. New Zealand is a clean,green country and is that way because the people value the land and go to great lengths to preserve it. Therefore the Xenophobes of Bellinger need to understand that this plan has been investigated fully to ensure the same for their area.
Shelly; if you did some research, you would see that the dairy industry in NEw Zealand is responsible for massive environmental degradation, to the point that many rivers there have signage saying ‘unsafe to swim’ on it. Dagmar, the facts are, that this New Zealand company wants to build an 1800 cow dairy within 80m of the Bellinger River. The set backs to the river and residential area don’t comply with the minimums set by the dairy industry themselves. The company has already shown disregard for the local community by running their machinery all night, aerial spraying with drift covering houses and the local school, and no efforts to upgrade existing inadequate facilities that are ALREADY polluting our river. The indicators to date don’t give me a lot of faith! The river is the life blood of our region, the fisheries, oyster industry, tourism, economic value and recreational value are far to much to risk for the sake of 3 extra jobs!!
Nic; if you did some research you would see her name is not spelt like that. Thumbs up for observational skills, maybe they are also lacking when looking at this situation? Do you live in New Zealand Nic? Because as a New Zealander I have yet to see a sign like that – maybe when researching farming on wikipedia you stumbled across that. I also assume Dagmar is quite well informed of the facts otherwise she would a) not be commenting on this link and b) would not be so “upset about all this”. you also don;t have a tourism industry, the Big Banana is the best thing there and at the end of the day its just a massive plastic piece of fruit, which doesn’t really whip me into a sightseeing frenzy. Not too much to be proud of there is there? Perhaps you should support the dairy industry in the hopes you may be able to invest in something like a giant apple or persimmon to brighten up the gigantic motorway running through your village. Maybe you should be more concerned about the petrol fumes. The indicators to date don’t give you a lot of faith? The fact you’re not concerned about the effect the methane gas coming out of the crap you talk doesn’t instil me with a heap of faith either Sparky.
To all of you out there having your say. We live in a democracy and everyone is entitled to an opinion however what I am reading whilst expressing viewpoints seems to really be devoid of facts.
To all of you my 69 year old mother was one of the so called Greenies you apear to be targeting in your diatribe of mis quoted facts and ill informed opinion. My parents live on the adjoinging farm to the one proposed to have the pad put on it and are farmers themselves. The distinction between their farm and the farm in question are that my parents are responsible in their farming practices.
Our family and other locals who have a very valid opinion to express are not trying to stop progress by this company we are just trying to preserve the river system and our hard earned investments in our land.
Have you Dagma, Jamie, or Shelley been to see the site in question? Are you aware of how close it is to the river and what potential negative impact could arise as a result of a flood, which I might say are a regular part of life in the region. Are you aware there is a school in very close proximity?
I went home recently to see my parents and was driving my car on the road on the way to their property and had to turn on my windsceen wipers as a result of the wind blowing the chemicals that were released from the sparying helicopter on this property, dumping its load on everything except its intended target, their paddocks.
I really think that debate is a healthy thing, but ill informed personal attacks by people who do not live in the area or near the problem are unhelpful to this debate.
If you do live in the area, good luck, when the spray comes and the shit from the cows is washed into the river I hope it doesn’t miss your door step.
For any of you that would like to learn more about this debate and see for youself what our concerns are I offer you a personal invitiatation to come and see for yourself and be informed. I would be more than happy to show you in person what this is all about.
Oh and for the record, my family hasn’t spoken to a disgrunteled employee, nor do we vote green. We just love the region, call it home and don’t want the local environment to be exposed to what will be, if allowed to go ahead, a disaster in a flood and put our livelihoods and children, and in fact ourselves at risk.
Sasha, I have indeed visited the site and am more informed than what you think and for the record I suggest you do some research into the disgruntled ex-employee and why he is scaremongering. Something about trying to save face after a rather hasty exit from the employment he was once waxing lyrically about and has now done a complete turn around. Hmmm food for thought!
Before concerned neighbours start complaining about someone who wants to upgrade and improve a run down an existing sub standard property they need to look at their own back yards first.
One of the loudest protestors to this development , Mr Lindsay the oyster farmer, has a lot to say in opposition, however Mr Lindsay allows his own cattle to graze unfenced on the side of the river and has no problem with his own cows entering the river and polluting it. Why the double standards Mr Lindsay?
Another farmer uses the river as a cow raceway but the concerned locals have no problem with that. It is commonly known that septic tank efflent from their own properties In Newry Island and Repton runs into the river but these same locals accept that.
I have read the 1600 page submission and it seems like these developers have considered every aspect of their farm practices and the affect on the environment. In every aspect they will meet or supercede the dairy industry and council standards. How many of these concerned locals could actually say the same. Seems like a typical case of ‘tall poppy ‘ syndrome to me.