An outer Melbourne council has called on the state government to "secure Victoria's food future", an issue often seen as subordinate to jobs, health, the environment and infrastructure.
Cardinia Shire Council (CSC) chief executive Carol Jeffs told a state parliamentary inquiry into agriculture on the urban fringe the gross value of primary production in the shire in 2020/21 was $323 million.
"While a small portion of the shire is within the urban growth boundary, the majority is classified as rural land and contains one of the largest and most significant farming areas in Victoria," Ms Jeffs said.
Securing Victoria's food future required "a dedicated focus and integrated effort across multiple departments and levels of government to be effectively addressed.
"The new 'A Plan for Victoria' should include a fifth pillar related to a 'secure food future'."
The Bunyip Complex bushfires of 2019 showed there were many more than nearly 400 recognised agricultural businesses, actually recorded in 2020/21.
"Many part-time farmers are not registered as agricultural businesses, as food production is not recognised as their primary (and even secondary) work related income," Ms Jeffs told the inquiry.
"Therefore, the mix of fulltime and part time farming businesses encompasses a larger proportion of the shire than currently acknowledged."
She said collectively those landholders had a significant presence and place within the peri-urban agricultural landscape setting
"While these part-time farmers/small landholders may not seem to contribute significantly to national agricultural values of production; their true value is in embedded within the local food economy," she said.
"In essence, they are vital to establishing a more local set of consumer access points for seasonal food access, within close proximity to high density urban communities. "
Cardinia was currently undertaking an agricultural audit, due for completion in June, she said.
"CSC acknowledges all peri-urban agribusinesses regardless of scale have an important role to play as buffers and contributors to local food access, availability and long-term security in Victoria," Ms Jeffs said.
"Peri-urban agriculture plays a critical role to underpin resilience in Victoria's food system."
Ms Jeffs said the classification of CSC as a metropolitan council greatly disadvantaged farmers.
"The metropolitan classification means that the shire is not eligible to apply for grants or funds for drought and flood assistance, or rural projects such as Landcare projects, and Regional Development Victoria (RDV) projects," she said.
"A new category or the ability for our rural land areas to be considered as rural in terms of funding grants is important to enable council and industry to seek appropriate grants, to help continue the development and protection or our important agricultural lands."
Ms Jeffs said another solution was the establishment of a Green Wedge Agriculture Fund (GWAF).
"A GWAF should also allow for the extension of state government rural/regional drought initiatives to metropolitan classified farmers," she said.
"Funding should also be available for both specific projects (value adding, local infrastructure, tourism and marketing projects) and for broader regional projects such as infrastructure for water security, logistics and transportation; and implementation of revised Green Wedge Management Plans."
Cardinia Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) branch president Tony Morgan, Bayles, said the shire had a food strategy since 2018.
He welcomed the submission, saying council had done "a great job" in responding to the parliamentary inquiry.
Mr Morgan said he had seen opportunities that had not been available to farmers in the Cardinia shire, as a result of its metropolitan classification.
"Being excluded from rural services/grants, disadvantages farmers in the area," he said.
But he said he didn't know reclassification was the answer.
"There is a whole lot of urban growth in the shire as well - it might actually require the recognition of a third category, the interface shires as counting in both the peri-urban and metropolitan areas," he said.
"That's probably a more sensible way to go about it, because there is a significant urban area within Cardinia now, there is also a significant agricultural presence."
A GWAF could be useful, too.
"I think I would support that, there are responsibilities on the shires that have green wedge areas they have to fulfil," he said.
The state government has been contacted for comment.
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
