Australian farm groups criticize new EPA landholder guide

The Australian federal government’s national Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a new landholder guide intended to provide practical support regarding EPBCA amendments. However, the document has faced intense criticism from agricultural lobby groups, including the National Farmers' Federation (NFF) and NSW Farmers.

Angus Atkinson, the NFF’s sustainable development committee chair, stated that the guide fails to provide farmers with the confidence needed to perform routine agricultural tasks, such as repairing earthworks or constructing fences. The NFF has expressed opposition to both the guide and the underlying EPBCA amendments.

Key changes under the EPBCA, effective December 1, 2025, include the removal of continuation of use exemptions for vegetation clearing that has not occurred within the last 15 years, or clearing within 50 meters of watercourses, wetlands, or drainage lines in the GBR catchment area. In Queensland, existing Property Maps of Assessable Vegetation (PMAV) approvals do not automatically grant exemptions under these national environmental laws.