Scaregun law blast

By Tania Martin
A YARRA Ranges farmer says he will be forced to use a shotgun if a new local law restricting the use of bird scarers is approved.
John Caccaviello last week called for a fair go for farmers.
This comes as the Shire of Yarra Ranges at a meeting last Tuesday (27 October) agreed to put the amended scaregun law out for public comment.
Mr Caccaviello invited councillors to come to look at his cherry orchard to see why there is a need for scare guns.
“We have been there for 42 years and growing cherries is our primary source of income,” he said.
Mr Caccaviello is concerned that if the proposed changes would see the use of scare guns restricted from being used within 300 metres of a residential property.
He said this would make it very difficult to farm.
Mr Caccaviello said there were only two other alternatives – netting, which is very expensive, and using a shotgun to scare birds away.
He said it could cost in excess of $400,000 to net all his crops.
“We just couldn’t carry that,” Mr Caccaviello said.
Mr Caccievello has been fighting the issue for more than five years.
“Our only other alternative will be shotguns.
“You can’t stop us using shot guns. We are in a rural area and can shoot a gun any time of the day and as many times as we like,” he said.
Resident Bob O’Neill hopes the council can come to a fair alternative for all concerned.
“From our perspective we live in a quite area and we respect the right to farm but think the other side of the fence has the right to have their rights respected as well,” he said.
Chandler Ward’s councillor Graham Warren said there were two very passionate sides of the argument and it was up to the council to find a reasonable outcome.
“But there is no easy answer to this one,” he said.
Cr Warren is calling for people to make submission on the proposed law.
“It’s going to be a challenging task for us all because it comes to the core of what happens in our valley as far as where agriculture sits and where other elements such as tourism and agri-tourism stands,” he said.
Streeton Ward Cr Noel Cliff said the shire had a unique mix of industries with its growing and tourism.
“But we have got to make sure we don’t kill off the goose that lays the golden egg here, we have to balance very carefully,” he said.
Cr Cliff said he also understood it was important to have the bed and breakfast industry but the issue had to be handled differently.
“We just put them (B and Bs) in and the bloke who has got the growing next door has to fire off a missile to frighten off the birds and can’t be expected to change his ways because of someone who comes up to the valley and wants to sleep in,” he said.
The proposed law will now be put out for public consultation.