The member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke, will look into laws surrounding destruction of vegetation and natural habitat in NSW following outrage by a group of Bethungra property owners at the bulldozing and burning of hundreds of old trees on a neighbouring 7,500-hectare property.
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The property, Englefield Plains, about 8km west of Bethungra, was bought by Viridis Ag, a division of the Macquarie banking group in October last year, with the assistance of a $100 million grant from the federal government's Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
Over a six-week period in March and April, trees were knocked down and burned to make way for broadscale cropping.
Landholders said the burning of green timber was so intense it choked the valley with smoke, which at times was so dense it could be "seen from space".
Ms Cooke issued a statement saying she fully understands the farmers' concerns at large-scale clearing of land next to their properties.
"Seeing such activities taking place on an industrial scale will create alarm among people who care for and cherish the land," Ms Cooke said.
"While I understand that the activities being undertaken by Viridis Ag are entirely within NSW law, I am seeking further information on the specifics of the law, its intentions and its effectiveness.
"I will also be contacting Viridis to seek their reassurances with regard to their work methods and their commitment to best practice in land care."
Viridis Ag said it was planning to plant 10 times the number of trees and shrubs it removed, but property owners complained that the trees removed were eucalypts and cyprus pines up to 200 years old, with the hollows animals and birds rely on to breed and survive.
