Planning and Environment Act 1987 Report Animal Industries Advisory Committee 29 April 2016 Planning and Environment Act 1987 Animal Industries Advisory Committee appointed under section 151 of the Act 29 April 2016 Lester Townsend, Chair Hugh Millar, Member Katherine Navarro, Member Lucinda Peterson, Member Animal Industries Advisory Committee Report 29 April 2016 Contents Page About the Animal Industries Advisory Committee ............................................................... 1 Executive summary .............................................................................................................. 2 1 Background ............................................................................................................... 11 Importance of animal industries ..................................................................................... 11 1.1 Changing production systems ............................................................................... 12 1.2 Impacts from animal husbandry ........................................................................... 13 2 Submissions and issues ............................................................................................. 16 2.1 Exhibition and submissions ................................................................................... 16 2.2 What are the issues ............................................................................................... 21 3 Policy and control of animal industries ..................................................................... 22 3.1 Planning policy support for animal industries ...................................................... 22 3.2 Legislative control on animal industries ................................................................ 25 4 Issue 1 – Planning for economic development .......................................................... 28 4.1 State economic development ............................................................................... 28 4.2 The need for rural planning ................................................................................... 28 4.3 More flexibility for the range of intensive uses .................................................... 31 4.4 Local economic development ............................................................................... 31 5 Issue 2 – Matching production systems and definitions ............................................ 33 5.1 Animal production systems in practice ................................................................. 33 5.2 Animal production system definitions .................................................................. 36 5.3 Creating more specific definitions ......................................................................... 40 5.4 Issues with the generic definitions ........................................................................ 41 5.5 Is an outcomes based definition possible ............................................................. 43 6 Issue 3 – Matching impacts and controls ................................................................... 45 6.1 A graduated approach ........................................................................................... 45 6.2 The benefits of a Code of Practice approach ........................................................ 49 6.3 Constructing Codes of Practice ............................................................................. 52 6.4 Recognise industry codes and assurance schemes ............................................... 54 7 Issue 4 – Separating uses .......................................................................................... 56 7.1 A consistent approach to separation distances .................................................... 56 7.2 Separation distances on adjoining land ................................................................ 62 7.3 Dwellings in the Farming Zone .............................................................................. 65 8 Issue 5 – Improving permit applications .................................................................... 68 8.1 Better information................................................................................................. 68 8.2 Better applications ................................................................................................ 69 8.3 Better agency input ............................................................................................... 70 Animal Industries Advisory Committee Report 29 April 2016 8.4 Better permit conditions ....................................................................................... 72 8.5 Planner training ..................................................................................................... 73 9 Issue 6 – Strengthening enforcement and compliance of animal industries .............. 74 9.1 Clarify existing use rights ....................................................................................... 74 9.2 Enforcement .......................................................................................................... 75 Appendix A Terms of Reference ..................................................................................... 78 Appendix B Consultation process ................................................................................... 81 B.1 Notice about the Discussion paper ......................................................... 81 B.2 Submitters ............................................................................................... 82 B.3 Appearances at Hearings ........................................................................ 86 B.4 List of Reference Group members .......................................................... 88 B.5 Document List ......................................................................................... 89 Appendix C Proposed definitions ................................................................................... 91 C.1 Land use definitions ................................................................................ 91 C.2 Nesting diagram ...................................................................................... 93 Appendix D Possible application requirements in the rural zones ................................... 94 Appendix E Possible standard conditions ....................................................................... 96 Animal Industries Advisory Committee Report 29 April 2016 List of Abbreviations APIQ Australian Pork Industry Quality Assurance Program Broiler Code Victorian Code for Broiler Farms 2009 DEDJTR Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources DELWP Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning DTPLI Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure (former) EPA Environment Protection Authority Feedlot Code Victorian Code for Cattle Feedlots, August 1995 Feedlot Guidelines National Guidelines for Beef Cattle Feedlots in Australia (third edition) GIS Geographic information system LPPF Local Planning Policy Framework NFAS National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme Piggeries Code Code of Practice, Piggeries, Department of Planning and Housing and Department of Food and Agriculture, 1992 SCU Standard Cattle Unit SPPF State Planning Policy Framework VCAT Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal VFF Victorian Farmers Federation VPP Victoria Planning Provisions Animal Industries Advisory Committee Report 29 April 2016 List of Figures Page Figure 1: Australian domestic meat consumption 1971–2012 ............................................ 13 Figure 2: Policy directions presented in the Committee’s Discussion paper ....................... 17 Figure 3: Support for and opposition to policy directions presented in the Committee’s Discussion paper. ............................................................................. 18 Figure 4: Farming land in Victoria ........................................................................................ 22 Figure 5: Strategies addressing animal industries in Regional growth plans ....................... 24 Figure 6: Nesting diagram for agricultural land use terms in planning schemes ................................................................................................................. 37 Figure 7: Current definitions in planning schemes .............................................................. 38 Figure 8: When is a permit required .................................................................................... 47 Figure 9: A graduated approach to land use categories for intensive animal husbandry .............................................................................................................. 48 Figure 10: How graduated approach to land use categories for intensive animal husbandry might apply in different zones ................................................ 49 Figure 11: Separation distance conceived as a ‘buffer’ around intensive animal husbandry that impacts on adjoining land ................................................ 63 Figure 12: Separation distance conceived as a ‘house protection buffer’ that limits opportunities on adjoining land .................................................................. 63 Figure 13: ‘Buffer’ sterilising a development opportunity ..................................................... 65 Animal Industries Advisory Committee Report 29 April 2016 List of Tables Page Table 1: Differences in separation distances