Nationals win two-year battle to protect farmers private property

The Nationals have won a two-year long battle to enhance the protection of farmers’ private property from trespassers following the recent passage of the Biosecurity Legislation Amendment (Incident Response) Bill 2024.

Under this Bill, tougher penalties will now be handed out for trespassing on agricultural premises, effectively doubling them to a maximum of $23,077 for individuals and $115,386 for organisations.

Nationals Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland highlighted an incident last year where 30 radical animal activists trespassed into a Benalla abattoir, chaining themselves to equipment in the facility to disrupt its normal operations.

“Those putting food on our tables deserve to run their business without threats to the biosecurity of their product – as do all the consumers in our region,” Ms Cleeland said.

“We do not need extreme animal activists attempting to bring our agriculture industry to a grinding halt.”

Ms Cleeland said the continued advocacy by The Nationals demonstrated the commitment the party has towards protecting local producers and the wider agriculture industry.

“When the Liberals and Nationals initially tried to introduce harsher penalties, Labor voted against it, only to feel the pressure and introduce the exact same amendments this year,” Ms Cleeland said.

“With a history of questionable dealings between Labor and crossbench MPs, The Nationals will persist in our fight for strong animal welfare outcomes as well as the long-term viability of Victorian agriculture.”