By Emily-Rose Toohey
An application for a feedlot near Allora presented at the 13 July Southern Downs Regional Council (SDRC) meeting was approved, but the project is a highly contentious one.
Rural residents living close to the development have spoken out against it, and Cr Marco Gliori said 63 submissions were sent from the community in opposition to the application.
“Over 85 per cent of the surrounding community have spoken out against this project because they believe it will severely impact their rural amenity as neighbours, generational farmers, and as residents,” Cr Gliori said.
“I’m not against feedlots, but I strongly believe this is the right project in the wrong place.
“How much more impact do we allow before it takes a toll on the rural amenity, the environment and those who share the space?”
Feedlots are a form of intensive animal farming where animals such as cattle and sheep are fed and fattened for the market.
The Allora feedlot will be located at McDonnell and Glengallen Road, Mount Marshall (Sheep and Cattle Feedlot – 999 SCU or 6,000 SSU), and SDRC councillors went into formal debate regarding the project after amending elements of the motion.
Cr Stephen Tancred said the Australian feedlot industry was one of the most heavily regulated agricultural industries in the world.
“This gives the rural operators, residents, and people interested in animal welfare and the environment some confidence,” Cr Tancred said.
“Nearly all submitters raised roads (safety, wear and tear, noise, dust), many raised odour, some raised visual amenity, concerns from an environmental point of view, and a healthy farming point of view in regards to manure, and soil and water.
“Our job is to mitigate these impacts with conditions or refuse.”
However, Cr Cynthia McDonald said she lived close to a feedlot at Rodgers Creek for the last six years and she finds the impacts minimal.
“A lot of farmers were thankful for feedlotters during the drought because we ran out of feed full stop,” Cr McDonald said.
“The only way we could feed our cattle was to work in conjunction with the feedlots – they have their place in our agriculture industry.”
Nonetheless, Cr McDonald said she agreed that there were some impacts, as detailed by those against the project.
“We need to reach a level of compromise,” she said.
“The agricultural industry in this region is massive, however, there are a lot of people that gave up their time to come and speak to us as councillors with some pertinent points.
“We need to respect those views and look at it in conjunction with the application.”
Cr Marco Gliori said he had no objection with feedlots and the way they were governed, but was also concerned about the impacts.
“There are concerns that the roads won’t cope with vehicles and trucks and at some stage, we need to say this is not good for our environment,” he said.
“There are six intensive farming properties located within 10km of Allora, and that doesn’t mean we need another.”
Furthermore, Cr McDonald said feedlots were drought-proofing and was a great step for diversification.
“The applicants have a business plan – they’re going further into embryo harvesting and breeding in the future, and we need to embrace different types of intensive industry,” she said.
Moreover, Cr Stephen Tancred said that the zone in which the feedlot will be located is considered a rural area.
“The purpose of the rural zone code is for rural uses including cropping, intensive horticulture, intensive animal industries, animal husbandry, animal keeping and other primary production activities,” he said.
“As Cr McDonald has said, is to intensify and diversify.
“We should all welcome the increased economic activity of Region and Allora with increased feed, vet/animal inputs, employment, saleyards, and transport industries.”
He also said that the feedlot’s conditions are strong and detailed.
“Our staff and council here today have mitigated the effects, and softened the blow for some concerns,” Cr Tancred said.
“I’m comfortable in regards to odour, roads, noise, operating hours, environmental water and soil concerns and will support the application with its many conditions and mitigations.”
