Farm Practices Panel Pilot
Agricultural land across NSW is under pressure from increasing demand for land from housing and rural developments, industrial and energy infrastructure, mining, transport and biodiversity conservation.
Increased competition for land has led to more land-use conflict and complaints, which often target routine and acceptable farming practices, particularly for intensive agricultural production.
It is critical that NSW balances the need for a productive and thriving agricultural sector with ongoing changes to land use.
The Farm Practices Panel pilot
The NSW Agriculture Commissioner is running a pilot of the Farm Practices Panel. The pilot aims to improve how routine and acceptable farming practices are communicated and adopted by the regulators and industry and understood by the community.
The chicken meat industry has been chosen for the pilot after consultation with the Australian Chicken Meat Federation, Local Government NSW and NSW Farmers Association.
The panel was established in December 2025 for 12 months. It includes:
- Alison Stone, NSW Agriculture Commissioner (Chair)
- Christopher Turner, independent expert with chicken meat industry experience
- Sam Lobsey, independent expert in land-use planning and regulation
As part of the pilot, the panel will review and recommend updates to a relevant industry code of practice or guideline. The panel will also evaluate how well the pilot works, including its suitability for broader application across other agricultural sectors.
What will the panel consider?
During the pilot, the panel will consider:
- The type, themes and affected parties for land use conflicts for the intensive agriculture sector, focusing on the chicken meat industry.
- Ways to improve communication, understanding and adoption of routine and acceptable farming practices across the community, regulators and industry.
- Approaches to reduce land-use conflict between chicken meat farms and affected parties, while maintaining productivity and meeting regulatory requirements.
- Existing chicken meat environmental or planning guidelines or codes of practice to ensure they reflect current best or acceptable practices and recent technological advancements.
- Options to strengthen clear and consistent guidance on best practice farming operations for land-use planners, decision makers, regulators and industry.
- Insights from the pilot that may apply to other intensive agricultural sectors including dairy, pigs, poultry egg, feedlots and intensive horticulture.
When will the pilot be completed?
The panel will provide a report to the Minister for Agriculture in August 2026. An evaluation will follow to assess how well the recommendations improve understanding of routine and acceptable farming practices and reduce land use conflict for the chicken meat industry. The Agriculture Commissioner will then consider and provide advice on whether to expand the pilot to other intensive agriculture sectors.
