16/02/2026
Great meeting with Cate Faehrmann last night at Macksville Ex-Services Club. More than 200 people attended — many deeply concerned about the current practices in intensive horticultural food production, particularly within the blueberry industry.
There is excessive reliance on chemical inputs: insectigation, fungigation, fertigation, and the long-term use of herbicides and algaecides through irrigation systems. Over time, these practices contribute to the degradation of soil biology and broader ecosystem health.
The Protection of the Environment Operations (POEO) Act currently permits certain pollutants to be used following community consultation. This allowance needs to be removed. Pollution should not be legitimised through process.
At the same time, the State Planning framework limits the ability of local councils to enforce compliance, despite responsibilities outlined under the POEO Act. This creates a regulatory gap.
The Pesticides Act — national in scope — clearly prohibits harm to people and the environment. Breaches fall within criminal law. These protections must be properly enforced.
Fourteen years ago, I presented a capture, filtration, sterilisation and reuse irrigation system developed by the NSW DPI at Somersby Research Station. This system could reduce water use by approximately 50% and fertiliser use by around 50%. It was ignored by industry. Adoption of such systems would significantly reduce environmental impact.
The use of insecticides, fungicides and herbicides via irrigation systems should be prohibited. Fertiliser effluent must be captured, stored and treated, not allowed to leave farmland and enter waterways.
Water quality underpins the North Coast’s $19 billion tourism industry. We only need to look at the long and expensive clean-up of the Parramatta River to understand the consequences of delayed action.
This is fundamentally a government responsibility. The recent reduction of 75 EPA staff on the North Coast weakens oversight at precisely the time stronger regulation is required.
The Environment Minister must work directly with the Planning and Agriculture Ministers to prevent a potential public health and environmental crisis. The Local Government and Tourism Ministers also have a stake in this issue. Ultimately, the Premier should ensure coordinated leadership.
A statewide and national response is needed to protect our environment, public health and regional economies. We cannot allow an intensively managed niche crop, outdated plant protection practices, and the importation and promotion of internationally banned chemicals to jeopardise the North Coast’s future.
The health impacts of neurotoxic pesticides, particularly on children, are well documented. These concerns were reinforced last night by Dr Matt Landos. Responsibility for reform lies with regulators, policymakers and industries that manufacture, distribute and promote these chemicals.
This situation has developed through years of regulatory complacency, weak import controls, lobbying pressure and technical inertia across political cycles. It is not confined to one region; similar patterns are emerging nationally and require federal attention and funding.
We can produce safer, higher-quality food using modern, sustainable systems. The cost of reform is insignificant compared to the economic, environmental and public health risks of inaction.
Intensive horticulture must move beyond greenwashing and adopt genuinely sustainable practices.
We have the knowledge, the technology and the capacity. It is time to use them.
