A $5 million spending commitment will target livestock effluent issues on New South Wales roadways.

The joint commitment by the Federal Government and NSW Government will be spent building and upgrading truck wash out facilities around the State.

NSW Farmers said the “Fixing Country Truck Washes” program lighten the load on existing infrastructure, freeing up livestock transporters to focus on the welfare of animals, the safety of others on the road, and biosecurity.

“Over a number of years, both the trucking and farming sectors have worked together to develop sensible outcomes to manage the effluent problem, NSW Farmers Business, Economics and Trade Chairman Peter Wilson said.

“Providing more wash out bays across the State has been identified by our members as a key solution to the effluent problem.

“The transport and agriculture industries have spent a great deal of investment in managing effluent, with the fitting and retrofitting of containment tanks in livestock crates.”

“The investment will partner with the NSW Government’s investments in the road network to build greater productivity for livestock farmers in NSW.

“We encourage the Government to partner this program with a renewed commitment to developing pragmatic approach to the regulation and enforcement of effluent.

“Such an approach should focus on major breaches, where the opportunity to use a wash down facility has been ignored – not minor infringements that pose no risk.”

Effluent falls under the issue of load restraint in the Heavy Vehicle (Mass Dimension and Loading) National Regulation (NSW). The National Transport Commission expects Ministers to consider amendments to the current Load Restraint Guide late in 2016 before release of the next amendment package to the Load Restraint Guide in 2017.

Source: NSW Farmers