NEW South Wales farmers have been reminded they have just over a month to complete their annual land and stock returns.
The annual land and stock return papers arrived in landholder mailboxes this week and LLS would prefer to receive details online.
The annual returns are a statutory requirement and the data provided ensures Local Land Services customers get the help they need when emergencies or disasters strike.
LLS business partner, emergency management, Steve Eastwood said landholders are urged to complete their annual land and stock returns online, because this was the quickest way to ensure LLS responds swiftly and accurately when needed.
The online process can be done in three simple steps and helps reduce face to face contact with Local Land Services and mail service staff, although postal lodgement is still available.
“Landholders can help us help them in an emergency or biosecurity event,” Mr Eastwood said.
The annual returns need to be lodged to Local Land Services no later than 31 August.
The information gathered builds a picture of agricultural land use and livestock numbers across NSW and assists in monitoring flocks and herds for emergency animal diseases.
“We understand circumstances change over a 12 month period, and after a hard few years, reporting livestock figures can be confronting, especially when landholders have destocked due to drought, fire or flood,” Dr Eastwood said.
Executive director regional operations, Rob Kelly, noted that the livestock figure landholders provide on their return does not affect the amount they pay in rates.
Local Land Services rates are calculated on a property’s notional carrying capacity.
Mr Kelly said it is vital Local Land Services has accurate, up-to date information so it can best deliver services.
“It may not be top of every landholder’s to-do list right now, but we need all returns so we can understand what’s happening on the ground across the state.
“In an emergency situation like last summer’s fires, our team will be supporting landholders as well as other agencies and suppliers to roll out an enormous amount of practical help, as well as information and advice,” he said.
To lodge your return online, visit www.lls.nsw.gov.au/alsr and follow the links to the dedicated portal.
Source: LLS.
Online is only faster, if you only one property to submit a return for. It’s a lot faster by paper with a number of properties.
For emergencies, both natural and exotic diseases, the LLS should only need to know the species that are on the property and rough numbers of each. It would be a lot simpler and faster to just “tick the box” for numbers of livestock e.g. for sheep and livestock;500; 500 to 1000 ; 1000 to 3000 etc. After all, if you have a number of properties the numbers on the return are just a ‘snapshot’ in time, and the actual numbers on a particular property can vary by thousands, days or weeks after the return is submitted.
The question on cropping land is not clear – does it mean area in crop this year, or area able to be cropped?
The statement on enrolments registered — what a mess. A phone call query informed me that it should not have been there. The ‘new’ criteria is going to be “one vote per trading name”. How or when are they going to get this information, as at the present one is an occupier? How fair is it for a per-urban occupier with a hand full of animals to have the same vote as an occupier with many thousands? We will, over time have had our vote reduced from 5, then to 4, and then to 2 and now to possibly 1.