Land use conflict has significant effects on primary producers and the agricultural sector in New South Wales (NSW). With agricultural land occupying more than 80% of the State, these conflicts also impact on many communities attached to or dependent on farming. 

Farm-related land use conflict in NSW extends beyond neighbourhood amenity disputes and peri-urban zones, encompassing water management rights, health concerns, disagreement on zoning or planning choices and debates over best-practice farming in regions. 

To evaluate the impact of land use conflict on NSW primary producers, this research project investigated relevant policies, frameworks and regulations with the aim of enabling compliant farmers to operate modern, competitive and sustainable farm businesses while maintaining harmonious and vibrant regional communities.  

Farmers can suffer significant economic consequences from land use conflict. However, this research shows the most severe impacts from these disputes are largely non-financial. In key informant interviews conducted for the study, mental health, social and physical amenity, industry decline and erosion of trust emerged as the primary impacts of land use conflict on NSW farmers. 

The complexity of land use conflict issues in NSW agriculture is difficult to overstate. However, at a time when agriculture is under increasing pressure from a changing climate there is no doubting the need for both proactive and reactive responses to manage the disruptive uncertainty created by conflict, which ultimately threatens the right to farm.