Farmer protest rally revving up

OPPONENTS of VNI West renewable energy project are planning to make their voices heard in Melbourne.

Farmers across northern Victoria will join with landowners in the path of Western Renewable Link for the August 15 protest.

Glenden Watts is among organisers of the Regional Victo- said: “The community sessions provided a valuable opportunity to talk to almost 400 farmers and members of the local community face-to-face, to answer questions and provide information about the process we are going through to identify the corridor for the transmission lines.

“While we recognise that not everyone supports the project, we welcomed the chance to listen to landholders, to talk about issues of concern, answer questions and outline the process we are following,” she said.

“The biggest area of focus was the transmission route – where would the final transmission corridor be located, and when would we have more informa- ria Power Alliance protest on the steps of Parliament House. tion. There were also many broader discussions around the need for the project, the rationale for selecting this particular area of interest, potential impacts on farms and risks to agricultural production, the cumulative effect of renewable generation and transmission development, and the benefits to the region from the project.

“We need your support - in a tractor, a truck, a ute, on horseback or just your presence on the steps of Parliament,” he has said in a call to action.

Local VFF officials say they expected Loddon landowners will be part of the protest.

“We also heard that unfortunately, the prospect of new transmission is causing significant stress for some community members and landholders, particularly at this early stage of the project due to the level of uncertainty.

“We are working to refine the current area of interest to a

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