There's a rift between grain-growers and other farmers in Western Australia over changes to an international program that until recently prevented aerial spraying within 500 metres of farm dams. The grain co-operative CBH says it will provide greater access to lucrative European markets but yabbie and honey producers are worried about the impact on their businesses and the environment.
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00:00Reece Kerwin's family have been farming in South Stirling for generations.
00:06We have over 250 dams on the property and actively building more just as a way to drought
00:14proof the farm essentially for dry starts.
00:18The dams could have cost the family access to lucrative markets in Europe.
00:21International Sustainability and Carbon Certification previously rejected certification for grain
00:26aerially sprayed within 500 metres of a water body.
00:30Essentially we'd lose a market because we wouldn't be able to participate in the ISCC
00:35program.
00:36We just simply couldn't comply with that requirement.
00:41But in April, the rules were changed after Cooperative Bulk Handling petitioned the ISCC
00:45to exempt farm dams and salt lakes.
00:47We've certainly been really supportive of that change in the definition because it allows
00:53us to utilise best practice within our paddocks.
00:58But not all grain growers are happy.
01:00My reaction was a great deal of stress to be quite honest and I immediately when I saw
01:06the announcement I rang CBH about my concerns about what they were aiming to do.
01:13Australia's largest exporter of yabbies fears the rule change could have a direct impact
01:17on productivity.
01:18People ring me up and they'll say I've got a dam that's got no yabbies in it and I'll
01:22ask them do you spray pesticides and they will say nine times out of ten yes.
01:29CBH has dismissed the concerns saying the ISCC's decision was backed by science.
01:34They've reached a conclusion that there is no risk to the risk around biodiversity, soil
01:40health, water health, air health as a result of reaching this decision.
01:44But other experts disagree.
01:46It will have an impact here, a negative impact on biodiversity, on production for other people
01:54who are producing other products and for the biodiversity.
01:58Farmers fighting for a sustainable outcome.