Dairy farmers and foresters in SA’s South-East fear water cuts will devastate jobs and businesses
Foresters and dairy farmers fear water cuts looming in the state’s South-East could devastate local businesses.
Belinda Willis | September 6, 2024 - 5:06PM Messenger Mount Gambier
SA Dairy Farmers’ Association chief executive officer Andrew Curtis said a review of water allocations in the Limestone Coast has flagged “significant” scaling back in allocations from underground aquifers.
This, he said, has created uncertainty and forced industry to put expansion plans on hold.
Mr Curtis claimed recent consultations with local industry showed a “bias around the impact of climate change” making primary producers feel concerned future water allocation cuts would lead to a “reduction in jobs, reduction in families, reduction in schools, across forestry, dairy, potatoes and viticulture”.
SA Dairyfarmers Association chief executive Andrew Curtis said dairy farmers fear looming water cuts in the state’s South East could devastate local businesses.
There are about 80 dairy farms in the region along with milk processing facilities at Penola and Mount Gambier, with Mr Curtis saying around 1500 people could be affected.
Mr Curtis called on the government to be open to industry concerns and also to move faster on the process so businesses had more certainty about planning their futures.
“It’s already having an impact on people’s abilities to plan but it will also have an impact on the ability for people to manage their businesses,” Mr Curtis said.
Other industry groups including forestry and grape growers have also raised concerns with the State Government over the Limestone Coast Water Allocation Plan review that states that: “Current allocation levels will not be sustainable moving forward”.
A government spokesman said groundwater reserves throughout the state “face serious challenges including from climate change and low rainfall” and landscape boards were working with communities to protect the resource.
A report on outcomes of the 2022/2023 review said: “the most important outcome of the review process is the need to re-evaluate sustainable allocation of the resource and amend the plan accordingly”.
The spokesman said a review of the Limestone Coast Water Allocation Plan was completed in November 2023 but the board wants to “better reflect the current groundwater reserves in this region”.
This has led to a series of community information sessions to keep landholders, industry and the community “abreast of the process”, with plans to have it completed by December 2027.