NSW Farmers branch revamped and eID motion developed, but challenges remain

President Geoff Chapman, Hay, said the branch was re-established in February after working with NSW Farmers regional manager Frank Galluzzo.

Mr Chapman said one of the motions to come from the meetings was the call for a recycling scheme for unused eID tags.

The motion notes that many producers buy tags prior to lambmarking and often end up with a surplus.

The year of birth is often used for the first two digits on the tag as a management tool, but this quickly renders the unused tag out of date.

"Having an option to recycle surplus eID tags and the RFID chips will help reduce the overall cost to the producer of mandatory eID," the motion reads.

"Recycling eID/RFID tags helps reduce plastic waste, contributing to a sustainable, circular ecomony."

The motion will be submitted for the NSW Farmers annual conference in July.

Mr Chapman said occasional meetings had been held prior to the branch's reboot, but there hadn't been any burning issues that had rallied people together.

The changing nature of sourcing information had also played a part in the branch's relevance, he said.

"When I started emails weren't in existence, it was probably a posted letter," he said.

"Now there's a weekly update so you can access all the information - if members have got time to read it."

Mr Chapman said branch members in the early days had lobbied for outcomes and been involved in policy development.

But over the years there was a sense that industry-impacting decisions were made from the city.

"You probably felt you were a bit closer to the coalface and could influence things. Now, I would be suggesting that some feel it's all done in Sydney or Canberra," he said.

"Say the water debate, there's been involvement in many forms and people are probably wondering whether they can influence that or not.

"Now, the budget cuts come and we probably just sit back and go, 'oh, not again'.

"It's easier to get on with production and worry about your stock, which you can have some input into."

The branch had about 30 members but getting enough people to form a committee was a challenge, he said.

Like other small towns, many people were involved in multiple organisations and were also juggling their own operations, families, and activities like weekends sports.

The Hay area also had corporate-owned farms, and managers tended to do their job and focus on their operation but did not have the capacity to focus on broader issues, he said.

Mr Chapman hoped to facilitate succession planning for the branch and get more young people on board.

Vice president Ian Lugsdin, Hay, said the issues branch members were facing were not unique to the area.

Staff shortages remained an issue, whether it was in town or on properties, and many sheep grazing enterprises were moving into shedding breeds as wool was no longer viable.

"The sheer cost of production is a problem," he said.

"If you look at any rural enterprise today, fuel's probably never been dearer, fertiliser's never been dearer, the cost of machinery is getting dearer by the minute.

"If you go back 30 or 40 years the average flock here was probably 1700 sheep - now you need to be 4500 to 7000 to survive."

There were also fewer people on the ground, leaving those involved to do more.

He had been involved with the Hay Water Users group for about 45 years. While there were once 170 irrigators, it was now down to 15.

"That's not a problem - these irrigators are doing the right thing and they're employing people - but there's just less people in the paddock and on the ground now," he said.

"At the end of the day we need local input, and that's not easy to find."

Other community organisations in the town were also struggling to find volunteers, he said.

"It doesn't matter what committee it is, it's the same people," he said.

"If it wasn't for them these little towns would stop."

Mr Lugsdin was also involved in NSW Farmers about 30 years ago and had been part of the development of early water policies.

He also hoped more young people would get involved in the local branch going forward.

"This area has had some good input over the years," he said.

"This little town still needs a voice, because at the end of the day it still breeds a pretty nice product in both cattle and sheep."