SOUTHERN Inland Regional President of AgForce Robyn Bryant has lent her support to the grazing community, expressing her disbelief at the proposed law changes and their effects on regional businesses.

At the public hearing on Thursday, Ms Bryant slammed the proposal and accused the Labor Party’s proposed laws of having a negative impact on the “biodiversity and long-term sustainability of agricultural land in Queensland.”

“Vegetation management is not about clearing trees; it is a planned and methodical process to enhance and improve the landscape,” she said.

“It ensures that true native trees are maintained without having to fight other species for survival.

“The best people to assess and maintain this land are the people who know it best: the rural producers.

“This is not a decision that should be made by any one political party.”

Ms Bryant, who is also a cattle producer, attacked the laws for stunting economic growth and putting unwarranted pressure on regional workers.

“The introduction of Labor’s proposed vegetation management legislation affects each and every person in rural Queensland...[it] suggests that we are incapable of managing our own land,” she said.

“Decisions about such a valuable asset to our state and country should not be made from behind a political desk in Brisbane by people who have never seen for themselves the positive outcomes of good vegetation management.

“If agricultural land continues to be used as a political tool, the state and federal economies will ultimately suffer.”

Ms Bryant is one of the latest officials to lend her support to opposition of the proposed law amendments, which have been routinely criticised by rural workers and farming groups.

The proposed law changes from the State Government would allow for tighter restrictions on land clearing and the introduction of strict conditions for approved land clearing.

It is claimed the proposed changes would allow for a reduction in land clearing rates, which rose after the Newman government repealed land clearing laws in 2013.