When a consortium of Coffs Harbour farmers bought a 250 acre agricultural property in Valery late last year, they were unaware their establishment of a blueberry farm would cause consternation for local residents.
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But that’s exactly what’s happened.
Leading the charge is Valery Rd resident Lyle Brittain. Lyle’s concerns range from pesticides, excess water usage and native fauna being trapped in netting designed to prevent fruit loss. He told the Courier-Sun his tireless campaign to stop the development of the blueberry farm has largely been ignored by government but many in the community, including Greens councillor Dominic King, are starting to sit up and take notice.
“I am very concerned in the way these blueberry farmers use the land and their use of chemicals near waterways,” Lyle said.
“Pine Creek runs through this property and it borders Hydes Creek. There are many fish and frog species and other wildlife … many domestic homes rely on this water source.
“I’ve contacted the council, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Office for Environment, Office for Environment and Heritage, NSW Office of Water … but there’s nothing they’re doing or there’s nothing much they can do.”
It’s this latter point – what authorities can do – that has brought Cr King into the debate.
He told the Courier-Sun he shares many of Lyle’s concerns and he’s frustrated council is restricted in its ability to influence these types of large-scale operations.
“The Valery Rd property in question is zoned as RU2 Rural Landscape, and the crop planted is classified horticulture, meaning the owners do not have to lodge a development application (DA) with council,” Cr King said.
“Legally, apart from monitoring water quality, making recommendations and advising them to adhere to ‘best practice guidelines’, there’s nothing we can be to stop this large-scale blueberry farm.
“I think that’s a real problem. It worries me that we are sending the wrong message about what sort of businesses we are attracting to the shire and what direction the shire should be taking to be an environmentally sustainable and economically viable region. We should be ahead of the game – encouraging and supporting lean, green industries and tourism.
“Blueberry farms are big chemical users, big water users … we really need to question the future of the shire and put together a framework that supports this vision”.
Part-owner and spokesperson of the blueberry farm, Mr Rai said he’s perplexed at the opposition and maintains he’s worked within all the legal frameworks.
“Bellingen Shire Council has made visits to the blueberry farm and we’ve complied with all their requests … we’ve done nothing wrong – it’s our right, and you just can’t stop people running agricultural properties,” Mr Rai said.
He disputes suggestions blueberry farming is detrimental to the environment.
“For the last 12 years I’ve planted blueberries on four different places in Coffs Harbour and there’s never been a problem,” Mr Rai said.
“At Valery, there’s only 35 acres of blueberries planted at the moment. We are 20 metres from the waterway and we only pump water from the dam. We use as little pesticides as possible.
“We paid big money for this place - we followed all the rules and regulations and we are entitled to do what we are doing”.
In response to a number of questions asked by the Courier-Sun, council released the following statement: “Public concern over a new blueberry farm being prepared at Valery was raised with council in 2014. The matters raised concerned water resources, the use of chemicals and pesticides, town planning, the clearing of vegetation, the potential for pollution and the impact on threatened species.
“Given the range of issues, a number of appropriate regulatory authorities (ARAs) have responded to the allegations, including officers of the Office of Water, Office of Environment and Heritage, the Environment Protection Authority and Bellingen Shire Council.
“While the land use itself does not require approval from council, there is a suite of legislation established to protect water resources and habitat, and to control the use of chemicals and pesticides. To help protect the environment, the appropriate regulatory authorities ARAs collectively inspected the site and are undertaking action where appropriate, including on-going monitoring and education to improve farming practices.”
The Courier-Sun was told the blueberry consortium had plans to buy neighbouring properties, however this suggestion was flatly denied by Mr Rai.
For more information about blueberry growing within the shire go to council’s website and search for: Information on farming blueberries in the Bellingen Shire.