In previous articles we mentioned the dangers associated with conventional agriculture as bores have turned up with too high levels of arsenic in Koah possibly due to the use of arsenic during tobacco farming times. Conventional farming uses many dangerous chemicals. Some insecticides, for example the much used Methomyl and Chlorpyrifos are anti-cholinesterases(nerve poisons) just like Sarin. In fact it was only after some potent insecticides were developed that armies also saw their usefulness in chemical warfare.
It follows that keeping conventional agriculture as far away as possible from environmental values and populated areas is a safe precaution.
What you can do:
Ring MSC on 1300 308 461 or 07 4086 4500
Email [email protected]
Ask them: "put the old 300 metre buffer zone back into the new MSC2016 plan to protect against dangerous spray drift. This will help to avoid 'accidents' like we saw in Mareeba last year, in future."
Use social media to say Stop #spraydrift [#spraydrift is the globally used hashtag for this issue which effects communities across the world]
The superseded Mareeba Shire Plan [MSC2004] designated a 300m buffer zone between agriculture and non agricultural areas to protect from dangerous spray drift. However the new supposedly more modern and intelligent MSC2016 plan has no such provision in place. When Council was asked to include that protective provision in the new plan the answer was no. It was too restrictive and it is not Council's responsibility anyway. However, under State regulation, chemical spray is not permitted to cross a boundary.
But in reality as we have seen in two recent cases known to the public, accidents do happen: Early this year a crop duster crashed in Mareeba. And last year a Mareeba rose farm was accidentally sprayed causing sickness and hardship to the owners.
To accommodate population growth in Koah the new MSC2016 plan rezoned land from rural to rural residential. Council however failed to take into consideration that some of the land was still under production using conventional chemical methods. According to the new MSC2016 plan those businesses have the right to continue as they were before in the middle of what is now rural residential zoned land.
In this conflict created by agriculture and non agriculture where does that leave the Koah population and the ag-businesses?
What you can do:
Ring MSC on 1300 308 461 or 07 4086 4500
Email [email protected]
Ask them: "put the old 300 metre buffer zone back into the new MSC2016 plan to protect against dangerous spray drift. This will help to avoid 'accidents' like we saw in Mareeba last year, in future."
Use social media to say Stop #spraydrift [#spraydrift is the globally used hashtag for this issue which effects communities across the world]