WE NEED YOUR HELP – SAVE PICK YOUR OWN FARMS IN NSW
A new regulation was passed in December 2022 by the State Government which regulates all Pick Your Own Farms. Hornsby Council (our Council) are currently ratifying the changes to include the farms in Wisemans Ferry as we are not classed as Rural, but an Environmental Protection Area. Although we agree with the regulations as a whole there is one point that will make it difficult for us to continue to operate. We disagree with the figure of 100 people on the property at any one time (men, women, children & grandparents). We struggled this year to keep to this figure and had to turn many visitors away. Hornsby Council has brought this to our attention and if we are forced to stick to this number we will be unable to continue to operate.
We need your help!!!! Hornsby Council are calling for submissions and to ask if you have any suggestions in relation to the changes to be made. I urge you to send a submission to Council before 4 August and request the number of people be changed to 100 for every 2 hectares or 100 people (only dad and mum) but excluding children and grandparents. I have attached a link for you to make a complaint if you wish to see us continue operating. Please note the new State Government are considering changes state wide and are looking to Hornsby to judge the response to their submissions.
UPDATE
The State Government is reviewing the regulations and have announced they will remove the cap on numbers of people attending a property.
We are awaiting Hornsby Councils decision whether they will follow the State Governments decision (we are in a different zone – Environmental Conservation) and whether they will allow us to operate.