Government urged to set up $1bn fund to help farmers protect the environment

The environment minister should consider farming interests before deciding whether to list threatened species, according to a long-delayed government review of how conservation laws could better serve the agriculture industry.

The federal government sought a review of environment
 laws amid concerns they are placing too great a burden on farmers.

The review, completed in September but not made public until Thursday, also recommends setting up a $1bn trust fund to help farmers to protect the environment and inviting the public to have a say before threatened species are assessed by a government-appointed scientific advisory committee.

It says scientific rigour should be maintain in deciding whether to list threatened species but recommends the minister get advice on the extent to which protecting a species would affect the agricultural sector and, if the impact was significant, what options were available to lessen the social or economic impact.

Read the story from The Guardian by Lisa Cox and Adam Morton - “Government urged to set up $1bn fund to help farmers protect the environment.”