Welcome to the Australian Local Food System Policy Database. This is a collection of policies from New South Wales (NSW) and Victorian local governments that relate to healthy, sustainable, and equitable food systems.
For further information about using the database and how it was created see How to use the database. You can search the database by using the fields below. Domain refers to eight broad categories under which various topics are situated. The domains and topics are based on a framework of recommendations for local government action on creating a healthy, sustainable, and equitable food system (also located on the ‘How to use the database’ page linked above).
To cite the database: Reeve B, Carrad A, Rose N, Charlton K & Aguirre-Bielschowsky I (2021) Australian Local Food System Policy Database. Available at: https://law-food-systems.sydney.edu.au/policy-database (access date).
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Hold Ctrl to select multiple terms. Using ‘any words’ functions as an “OR” search. Using ‘all words’ functions as and “AND” search.
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| Document title | Relevant text in the policy | Domain | Topic | State | Local Government name | Council type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Industries | Bega Valley Shire Council will assist ‘Traditional Industries’ in a systematic manner by:  Providing business intelligence to these industries about opportunities for sustainability and change.  Fostering an environment where existing businesses have opportunities to grow through cluster development and information on value adding.  Supporting reuse of urban waste and recycled product to reduce costs of inputs in the operating of the traditional industries. | Economic Development | Local food producers | NSW | Bega | Regional |
| Traditional Industries | Bega Valley Shire Council will assist ‘Traditional Industries’ in a systematic manner by: Providing business intelligence to these industries about opportunities for sustainability and change. Fostering an environment where existing businesses have opportunities to grow through cluster development and information on value adding. Supporting reuse of urban waste and recycled product to reduce costs of inputs in the operating of the traditional industries. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Bega | Regional |
| Traditional Industries | Bega Valley Shire Council will assist ‘Traditional Industries’ in a systematic manner by: Providing business intelligence to these industries about opportunities for sustainability and change. Fostering an environment where existing businesses have opportunities to grow through cluster development and information on value adding. Supporting reuse of urban waste and recycled product to reduce costs of inputs in the operating of the traditional industries. | Sustainability and Environment | Animal husbandry | NSW | Bega | Regional |
| Travelling Stock | 1. Intent of Policy There are a number of situations where stock is permitted on Council controlled (i.e. public) roads. Some of these situations require permits while others do not. In most cases there are obligations imposed on the owner of the stock when the stock are actually on the road. Council is the responsible road authority for public roads, including the road reserve from boundary fence to boundary fence. The Rural The intention of the policy is to provide detail to Council staff and the public about Circumstances where stock are permitted on Council roads: Circumstances where permits are required; Obligations of Council for stock on roads; and Obligations of landholders for stock on roads. | Sustainability and Environment | Animal husbandry | NSW | Oberon | Regional |
| Tree Management Plan | Re-establish Walnut Tree – Juglans nigra, Black Walnut. Avenue along entrance to Tangambalanga from the west on Kiewa East Rd. | Sustainability and Environment | Food production on LG land | Victoria | Indigo | Regional |
| Tweed Shire Events Strategy 2016 to 2020 | Tweed Foodie Fest | Health and Wellbeing | Education/events on food system issues | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Shire Events Strategy 2016 to 2020 | Community and Civic Events: Showcase Council’s commitment to the community with celebratory events, for example: Australia Day, Senior’s Week, Youth Week, the Murwillumbah Agricultural Show, | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Shire Events Strategy 2016 to 2020 | Events are important catalysts for economic development, social inclusion and community well-being, with each event type delivering a specific flow-on to the community. Council acknowledges the importance of each sector and their role as a facilitator for optimising the positive impacts each sector delivers to the community. Specifically: • Community/Civic Events: For example: Australia Day, Senior’s Week, Youth Week, the Murwillumbah Agricultural Show, NAIDO | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Shire Events Strategy 2016 to 2020 | Murwillumbah Agricultural Show | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Shire Events Strategy 2016 to 2020 | Tweed Foodie Fest | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Shire Events Strategy 2016 to 2020 | Priority 4: Refine Purpose: Streamline the surrounding processes, relationship optimisation and governance of events with measures to report, review and continually improve. The key priorities will include: • markets (Policy around: Locations, Frequency, Community and Business markets, Farmers’ markets, Conditions of stallholders, Governance, Fees and support) | Economic Development | Public food markets and distributors | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Shire Events Strategy 2016 to 2020 | Priority 4: Refine  Markets (Policy development around: Locations, Frequency, Community and Business markets, Farmers’ markets, Conditions of stallholders, Governance, Fees and support). | Economic Development | Public food markets and distributors | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Shire Events Strategy 2016 to 2020 | There are over 10 regular community markets held throughout The Tweed. These primarily occur on Saturdays, Sundays, and Friday evenings (night markets), with the regular Farmers Growers’ Markets mid-week in Murwillumbah. | Economic Development | Public food markets and distributors | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Recognise and promote Aboriginal culture and farming practices | Health and Wellbeing | Traditional food cultures | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Acknowledge sustainable agriculture operators through a sustainable agriculture award program | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Actions: Conduct workshops, field days and training sessions to give landholders strategies to enhance biodiversity and farm productivity and utilise natural processes. Research and showcase local projects that integrate biodiversity and agriculture. Promote existing support mechanisms for riparian management and biodiversity conservation (i.e. River Health Grants, Biodiversity Grants, Land for Wildlife). Identify the barriers to the uptake of sustainability incentive programs such as Biodiversity and River Health Grants. Develop and implement an incentive program for farmers who protect and enhance environmental assets and farm with minimal environmental impact. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Celebrate past, present and future sustainable agriculture practices and local farming stories in the Tweed Regional Museum and Sustainable Living Centre | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Council recognises the importance of agriculture to the region and wants to see an innovative and adaptable farming community that can deal with threats such as pests, weeds and climate change and be able to take advantage of opportunities such as new farming techniques and market opportunities. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Help establish and showcase sustainable farms, progressive farmers and best management practices by publishing case studies and holding farm field days and other events. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Help farmers achieve environmental and stewardship credentials through environmental management systems and assurance schemes. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Landholders and farmers can realise the benefits of good riparian land management, understand the regulatory requirements for activities in waterways and on riparian land and recognise the benefits of biodiversity and its contribution to sustainable and profitable farming. Farmers are responsible for managing significant areas of land and need the skills and support to sustain the natural areas the community values and depends on for quality of life. Building farmers’ capacity in natural resource management is essential to ensure agricultural systems are highly productive and environmentally sustainable. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Monitoring and evaluating the strategy’s implementation is important to ensure resources are directed towards priority actions and the intended outcomes are realised. An annual report will be prepared to inform the community about implementation of the strategy. The annual report will focus on progress towards implementing the various strategic actions, rather than attempting to measure success according to a series of key indicators. Such broad indicators will not be measurable over a short time frame and are more suited to review after a 5 or 10-year period. Annual reporting and review of the Sustainable Agriculture Action Plan will enable adaptive management and feedback from the roundtable and other community members, to ensure the strategy remains relevant and capable of addressing the farming community’s needs. Key indicators of success include: Producers committed to long-term sustainability by embracing change and continually updating techniques and practices to increase productivity and ensure they farm within the land’s capability. Farmers recognise and greater utilise natural processes in their production systems, effectively reducing the need for costly inputs and being better placed to withstand the shocks of extreme weather events and other environmental pressures. Increased use of previously underutilised land for agricultural production. Growth in agricultural employment, financial turnover and investment. Sustainable agricultural production is supported by the community, which appreciates the value of farming in the Tweed for its tourism and job opportunities and its contribution to the character of the rural landscape. The community buying and creating greater demand for locally produced food. Ongoing and increased farmer uptake of council incentive programs. Actions in the strategy include improving the local knowledge base: to generate a better understanding of agricultural land uses, current management practices and the economic and social position of our farmers. This will help define a baseline to determine progress towards the strategic objectives and outcomes. Actions: Prepare an annual report highlighting progress with strategy implementation. Review the strategy, its aims, objectives and outcomes after five years of implementation. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Objective 1.1 – Ensure the on-going protection of prime agricultural land The rural landscape is highly fragmented as a result of past planning decisions. Most agriculture occurs on relatively small lots, within a mosaic of differing land uses and biophysical characteristics. Governments must ensure prime agricultural land is protected from inappropriate development that fragments the landscape and threatens the productive use of land and water. Actions: Develop guidelines to ensure the development of prime agricultural land is appropriately evaluated consistent with current environmental planning instrument objectives. Periodically review farmland status to identify additional areas that warrant protection and prime agricultural land status. Ensure all available actions to prevent coal seam gas activities on prime agricultural land. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Objective 1.2 – Minimise land use conflicts between agriculture and other land uses Rural land is increasingly being purchased for lifestyle purposes which reduces opportunities for agriculture and has potential to generate land use conflicts between farmers and people new to rural areas. Similarly, new rural landholders are seeking opportunities to utilise their often small parcels of land for productive purposes, which can also lead to disagreements between landholders. Conflict can result from misunderstandings about the realities of agricultural production and community expectations about how agriculture should be conducted. Council must give due consideration to the impacts of development on agriculture when assessing development applications and has a responsibility to ensure land use conflict is minimised. Actions: Implement actions identified in the draft Rural Land Strategy to address conflicts at the rezoning and subdivision stage, including preparing a specific chapter in the DCP about land use conflict, buffers and setbacks to farmland. Increase the awareness, capacity and skill of lifestyle land owners to manage their land sustainably so that it does not degrade the environment or impact on adjacent farmers. Raise awareness and appreciation of rural activities, including agricultural practices, among new and existing landholders living close to agricultural production. Help industry adopt more sustainable agricultural practices. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Objective 1.3 – Increase utilisation of prime agricultural land for agricultural purposes Underutilisation of prime agricultural land because of speculative purchasing for potential future residential use inhibits sustainable development and progression of industries, limits potential for alternative productive uses and creates barriers for new farmers. The cost of rural land is often beyond the reach of people seeking a future in agriculture and development pressure can further increase the cost and decrease the availability of agricultural land. This restricts young people with new skills and ideas from contributing to a sustainable future for Tweed agriculture. Sugar cane production is periodically affected by natural flooding, which is likely to worsen as the climate changes. The sugar industry has identified a need to improve existing drainage, consistent with environmental best practice, to better respond to flooding and improve farm productivity. Landholders have expressed frustration about difficulties obtaining planning approvals for farm diversification, valueadding and intensification. The perceived regulatory burden on agricultural development deters many landholders from pursuing agritourism and other agribusiness opportunities. Actions: Promote farming sharing, cooperatives, leasing and other initiatives to make productive and underutilised land available for sustainable agriculture. Assist floodplain-based industries to obtain funding to model floodplain hydrology, to improve understanding of land capability and help design improved drainage infrastructure consistent with environmental best practice. Help farmers understand the capability and the most suitable use of their land. Review planning procedures and ‘red tape’ in accordance with the draft Rural Land Strategy and Economic Development Strategy. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Objective 1.4 – Ensure the protection of Aboriginal sites within agricultural landscapes The Tweed has a rich cultural heritage of Indigenous management, utilisation and respect for land. Farmland containing Indigenous cultural heritage values requires ongoing protection and care. Actions: Provide workshops and information about cultural heritage and landowners obligations under relevant Acts and guidelines. Ensure Aboriginal cultural heritage is protected when assessing new rural developments. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Objective 2.1 – Remediate past agricultural land use impacts Previous agricultural activities, many of which were promoted by agricultural extension have left many landscapes unproductive and in need of urgent remediation. Opportunities exist for significant productivity gains and improved environmental outcomes through rehabilitation of degraded land. Organic carbon is the basis of healthy and productive soils and has declined over time, impacting on the fertility and productivity of many Tweed landscapes. Soil organic carbon levels need to increase to improve soil fertility, increase water infiltration, prevent soil erosion and improve resilience to drought. Agricultural soils also have an important role to play in capturing and storing atmospheric carbon to better regulate climate. Actions: Identify, monitor and remediate acid sulfate soil hotspots on agricultural land using best practice, in collaboration with affected landowners and industry. Explore regulatory options where there is significant environmental harm from activities and an unwillingness of landholders to work collaboratively to address the problem. Support and conduct soil conservation projects on farmland in priority catchments. Help farmers sequester carbon emissions in soils and vegetation by accessing information, technology and funding to improve land management. Fence waterways where practical to reduce manure input and damage by stock, provide off-stream water and revegetate banks. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Objective 2.2 – Minimise the loss of soil, nutrients, pesticides and other pollutants to the environment Healthy soils are essential for good plant growth, increased crop yields, livestock carrying capacity and reducing pest and disease problems. Good soil structure increases water and nutrient infiltration and retention, making farms more resilient to drought and reducing run-off into waterways. Farms lose nutrients through natural processes such as denitrification, through soil cultivation, effluent from livestock, farm run-off and removal of animals and crops. There is potential to improve on-farm retention and reuse of nutrients, particularly in intensive industries such as dairying. All farms have organic waste that could be recycled back into the soil for productive agriculture use. Many agricultural industries have best management guidelines to help producers improve the long-term profitability of their enterprise and minimise their environmental footprint. Best management practices often improve soil and ecosystem health at no additional cost to producers. Uptake of industry best practice in the Tweed is not well understood, though there is an identified need to assist producers to overcome financial, technical and social barriers to change. 20 Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy Actions: Determine priorities for on-ground works by monitoring the impacts of farm management practices on water quality and soil health in various catchments. Work with industry to benchmark existing management practices for sugar cane, dairy, beef, bananas, vegetables and other agricultural enterprises. Provide technical advice and support and conduct onground works to address low productivity and degradation processes caused by agricultural activities. Support farmers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural enterprises, including reducing reliance on non-renewable resources and improved waste management systems. Support research, monitoring and demonstration projects showcasing the environmental, social and economic benefits and costs of land management practices. Promote and facilitate uptake of best practice effluent management and reuse on dairies, piggeries and other intensive animal production systems. Promote practices that increase nutrient retention and recycling on-farm and reduce the loss of nutrients and organic carbon to the environment, including crop rotations, green cane harvesting, stubble retention, sustainable pasture management, livestock effluent re-use and composting. Help farmers improve fertiliser and chemical use by assisting them to develop nutrient budgets and integrated pest management programs. Promote dung beetle population management in grazing land alongside off-stream water provision and revegetation of creeks and river banks | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Objective 2.3 – Increase utilisation of natural processes and biodiversity in productive, sustainable farming systems Farming systems that utilise natural processes rather than compete with them are likely to be the most profitable, environmentally friendly and most resilient to new and emerging threats. Reliance on finite off-farm inputs is a risk. Modern farming practices rely on fossil fuel-based energy and agrichemicals and are vulnerable to decreasing availability and effectiveness and increasing costs of these products. Sustainable agriculture practices can reduce reliance on off-farm inputs and make greater use of existing nutrient cycling and pest control processes provided free of charge by the natural environment. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |
| Tweed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy | Objective 2.4 – Increase utilisation of recoverable resources Waste is increasingly recognised as a resource that can be utilised for better productivity. Non-traditional nutrient sources such as municipal green waste and biosolids are largely underutilised and expensive to dispose of. Used correctly, they are ideal sources of organic matter and nutrients to restore agricultural soil health and reduce farm input costs. Actions: Enable agricultural use of soil ameliorants derived from the Tweed’s recoverable resources, including food organics, green waste and biosolids. Increase agricultural demand for local, carbon-rich soil amendments through advocacy and demonstration. Identify opportunities to minimise, reuse, recycle and divert farm waste from landfill. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | NSW | Tweed | Regional |