Farmers need greater protection from activists who trespass on their properties, according to Albury MP Justin Clancy.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Clancy has voiced his support for a bill which would create new laws concerning unlawful entry onto farms.
There has been growing concern about animal activists attending farms and abattoirs, with the changes to increase fines for aggravated entry on inclosed land to $22,000 and maximum prison sentences of up to three years.
Mr Clancy said the proposed changes were "sensible improvements to our laws".
"It is time to protect farmers and farm workers and their families from forms of protests which are unacceptably invasive, uncaring, undiscriminating and unsafe and which can be better directed elsewhere," he told NSW Parliament.
"This bill is welcomed by our farming community."
IN OTHER NEWS:
Mr Clancy said it was important to "support the right to farm" and said residents at Boree Creek had recently raised concerns with him about trespassers.
"There are people living or working on farms and in primary production who are vulnerable to the threats presented by uninvited persons moving across the property, particularly after dark," he said.
"This can be a lonely land."
Mr Clancy said there were parallels with a Wodonga Council plan to restrict access to Huon Hill on high-risk fire days to curb antisocial behaviour.
An inquiry into the impact of animal activism on farming is also being held in Victoria, with nearly 500 submissions made.