Your View

Wind farm guarantees

WHEN the first discussions were being held about the wind farm, we at Sandilands were asked to meet at one of the proponent’s farms to discuss the proposal. 

After being presented with the original contracts we decided to hold a meeting with the community at the Sandilands church. All aspects were discussed and it was decided we were indeed very fortunate to have the privilege to farm in this area, in many cases due to our forefathers’ foresight. 

After looking at the concerns regarding some of the points presented, that have since been enlarged on, and a recommendation from legal advice that then contracts were not in our best interest, we decided for us to gain some financial reward for only one generation, we owed it to the future generations to give them the same pristine conditions to farm in that we have been able to enjoy.

How sad it is today that the originators of this proposal, whose values obviously are very different from ours, decided this was not the way to sell this project.  

They believed the best way forward for them was to speak to farmers individually who were encouraged to keep their discussions to themselves, until considerably further down the negotiations, so as to keep community consultation to a minimum.

We now have the situation where the peninsula, which was a tight supportive group, has become fragmented.  A situation which leaves neighbour against neighbour who in the past would work together through thick and thin.

If this project is approved the one thing we deserve is a guarantee from the District Council of Yorke Peninsula, the state government and the DAC, there will be no health issue or detriment to the livelihood of any resident on YP.

The one thing we hope is the laws of this country will still allow the rights of the individual, in particular the non-participating farmers, to continue farming without any restrictions to their current and future practices especially in the regard to the placement of turbines.

This area is recognised as a very reliable food producing area in Australia and when there is so much area in SA underutilised, surely they don’t need to be placed in this food bowl.

Grant and Lesley Rowe, Maitland