The Goulburn – Crookwell Road “is and always has been” the biggest threat to farms near the railway line corridor – with more risks arising than could ever pass along the rail trail.
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This view was put to last week’s Upper Lachlan Council meeting by Cr. Paul Culhane – speaking in his capacity as a member of the Rail Trail Group.
He was responding to protests from landowners along the disused rail line, particularly from seed potato farmers who see the proposed rail trail as a threat to their quarantined disease-free status.
Cr. Culhane said bio-security was “more than having signs at your front gate.
“More risks arise from livestock freight trucks, food deliveries, machinery transport etc than could ever pass along the rail trail,” he claimed.
“Crookwell has been a quarantine area for seed potatoes for a long time and that must be preserved.
“However, I don’t believe it is sensible to suggest the users of the rail trail add any significant risk.
“Is it realistic to suggest rail trail users will be carrying potatoes to plant or consume along the way or be a source of foreign bugs and disease?”
Cr. Culhane said the typical users of such a trail were fit, well off middle aged urban dwelling tourists unlikely to be carrying anything more substantial than bikes and bottles of water.
“These people expect to be catered for and transported to a section of the corridor, and then dine in a town afterwards, which is why they have the ability to stimulate the local economy,” Cr. Culhane declared.
Addressing farmers’ fears on weeds and fire, Cr. Culhane said that large sections of the rail corridor are currently uncared for and consequently already pose a significant fire, weed and potential contamination issue.
“The Rail Trail will have to properly address all of these issues to proceed, therefore this should be a positive feature rather than a negative,” he said.
“The rail trail is not introducing these problems – it will be required to assess, take appropriate action and manage them.”
Cr. Culhane said the farms along the corridor have themselves used many heavy chemicals with very long lives for weed, pest and fly control that are no longer allowed, which have than subsequently been ploughed exposing their flocks and produce.
“The point is that this is not a problem isolated to the rail corridor, nor is it a problem the rail trail introduced – and is more likely to improve then add a dangerous element,” he added.
On possible effect on land values, Cr. Culhane commented: “If looking at purchasing a 1000 acre property with the same DSE capacity and agricultural merit, while one straddled the rail corridor and therefore has the ability should it so choose to add a B and B or other cottage industry – which would you choose? Valuers suggest the latter.”
He added: “The Crookwell Potato Association has been a tremendous corporate citizen for this shire and I hope a new generation takes it on and strives for its former glory; but I suggest we continue to consult, get informed – and let’s work together on what is an enormous opportunity for the local economy.”
