“The right to farm is a concept enshrined in other jurisdictions such as most of the provinces of Canada. It is an explicit legal construct which allows farmers to continue farming where appropriate,” Mitchell Clapham, chair of the association’s Conservation and Resource Management Committee, said.

As the demand for lifestyle blocks increases new residents can have a lack of understanding of farming practices including working unusual hours. 

“A right to farm would make farming operations immune from specific ­nuisance complaints arising from those who move to an area close to a farming operation,” Mr Clapham said. 

“The reality of farming is that ­sometimes it’s smelly, sometimes it’s noisy, but farmers’ hard work to produce food and fibre should be supported and not restricted by our planning laws.” 

E zones and local councils’ power in making decisions over farmland usage, are issues the association would like addressed by the adoption of a right to farm policy.

“It is like locking a bedroom up in a house, we are dealing with idealism that is not fact based and not considering the implications on farmers and food production,” Kath Robb, executive councillor NSW Farmers for the Tweed Heads to Gloucester region, said.