Clyde farmers say …

By Bridget Brady
CLYDE farmers have a positive outlook on their potential inclusion in the Urban Growth Boundary, at odds with the council’s view it would ruin Casey’s agricultural industry.
Clyde vegetable growers and market gardeners have welcomed the possibility of their land being included in the UGB, and said it was natural to move on from a farming area.
Vegetable grower Craig Arnott said to move from one farming area to the next was a natural progression.
“My opinion is that it has to happen. We have to expand to survive,” Mr Arnott said.
“You can’t abuse farms. You need fresh ground and we need to be able to progress to become more economic.”
Tom Schreurs works on his family’s farm and said changes to the UGB left the door open for a range of options for his family.
“We’re quite happy about it. It gives us an opportunity to realise what we can do with our lives after retirement,” Mr Schreurs said.
“There are a lot of people expecting us to be farming for a long time and I don’t think it’s quite fair.”
Inclusion into the UGB gave farmers flexibility and meant they were not restricted by other people’s thoughts on what should happen, Mr Schreurs said.
The State Government is investigating an area in Casey for urban development to accommodate Melbourne’s growing population.
Casey council last month said changes to the UGB in the Clyde area would effectively spell the end of any significant agricultural industry in Casey, given land in the Clyde area was considered of high agricultural value.
Council officers have called the proposed UGB extension “rushed and ill-conceived”.
But market gardener Colleen Mammone said it was “time to move on and get some new ground moving”.
“You can’t just keep planting and planting in the same spot,” she said.