Oyster farmers face uncertain future as disease plagues Port Stephens

BY DAKOTA TAIT

The Hunter's oyster industry could be on the brink of collapse, as a deadly disease forces farmers to destroy millions of dollars worth of produce.

QX, short for Queensland Unknown, doesn't affect humans, but it is fatal for Sydney rock oysters.

It's caused by the Marteilia sydneyi protozoa, which reproduces in the oysters, restricting their growth and killing them.

XL Oysters at Lemon Tree Passage has lost $500,000 worth of juvenile stock, which has had to be dumped.

Director Don Burgoyne says some of the affected farmers have been in the industry for five generations, and it's painful to see their livelihoods in crisis.

"Eight farmers of the 41 in Port Stephens are really looking to just walk away," he said.

"Everything has been wiped out as such. They have no crop. They can't afford to get new stock."

"80 percent dead, and the ones that are dead don't thrive either. It's quite across the board, and this has happened very quickly, which is the big surprise."

It's estimated, Port Stephens contributes around $8.5 million to the NSW oyster industry each year.

QX was only detected in the Port Stephens estuary in August last year - it's believed flooding has created stressful conditions for the oysters, heightening their risk of the disease.

Port Stephens MP Kate Washington has met with local farmers to discuss the impact of the disease and the future moving forward for the industry.

She says it's a heartbreaking situation.

"The more I hear, the worse it gets," she said.

"It costs to walk away from an oyster farm and it's going to cost them to stay in it. And to stay in it is a risk as well. There are some very difficult decisions being made all around the place."

There are calls for the Agriculture Minister and the State Government to get involved and lend a lifeline to the industry.

It's understood, a switch to disease-resistant or alternative species of oysters is possible, but is highly capital-intensive.

While the long-term fix could be on the horizon, farmers are hoping the Government could step in to help alleviate ongoing costs such as leasing fees for the use of crown land, and free up cash to be used on making the transition.

"We need stock that we can grow," Mr Burgoyne said.

"There is resistant stock that is available, but it's only coming on slowly and there's a lag time that you have to get through.

"Oysters take two-and-a-half years to grow, at best, and so you have to get through that hollow of no income and a lot of outgoings."

Image credit: Port Stephens MP Kate Washington.

Farmers hit back at Government Proposal

BY: ALEX MURRAY

A public forum was held this morning at the Wine Country Motor Inn with discussions of the government's proposed production and rural development policy and its protections for farmers.

The proposal is aiming to support sustainable agriculture and changes to planning particularly those requiring development consent. 

As Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, Scot Macdonald says, "Primary production and managing rural development is vitally important to the Hunter." 

Although, the NSW Farmers Association is calling on the government to consider the restrictions placed on rural farmers in the development of the proposal and to have an understanding of their working conditions. 

Hunter Regional Manager of NSW Farmers, David Banham says: "The message is loud and clear from the people in the room today that there's still work to be done and it needs to be done properly."

"There was certainly discussion around the fragmentation of agricultural land and the minimum lot size which could be potentially changed or present issues." 

"It's a big change from the existing environmental planning policies we've got...including problems where certain farms won't be requiring development consent to go ahead." 

"We've identified some of the issues early on...but we're always looking for positive outcomes from these changes, we just need to need to ensure the planning department understand farming and the issues around it so they can create the right policies."