How important is agricultural land?

22 Nov 2018

The local community, farmers and agribusinesses have been invited to help identify important agricultural land in the Riverina Murray region.

NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) senior land use mapping officer, Wendy Menz, said the project is a NSW DPI initiative to map important agricultural land and ensure the future of agriculture in the region.

“We have been working with local government, NSW Department of Planning and Environment and other stakeholders to produce a draft map and now it’s important to get as much feedback as we can to refine the detail,” Ms Menz said.

“Identifying important agricultural land, knowing exactly where it is, how it fits in the landscape, its value and contribution to NSW, will help make decisions now and into the future.

“This information will help support agricultural industries and give agribusiness the confidence to function, invest and grow.”

Ms Menz said mapping has many advantages for both planners and farmers.

“Mapping will help reduce land use conflict and enable compatible development in zones permitting agriculture, allow planners to choose appropriate zones for agricultural and non-agricultural development and support essential agricultural assets and the agricultural supply chain,” she said.

“In the future, we can use the information to identify new opportunities for agricultural industries.”

The program supports the NSW Department of Planning and Environment’s regional planning targets to map important agricultural lands in NSW.

Have your say

NSW DPI welcomes input and invites you to have your say on the Riverina Murray Important Agricultural Land map.

Feedback is open until Sunday 23 December 2018.

Media contact: 02 6391 3686