Rural
3 September, 2025
Meat industry weighs in on renewables
Wind turbines and solar energy systems were added to the Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) program issued by the Integrity Systems Company in September 2024, and now producers are coming to grips with the tangible effects 12 months on.
The inclusion of this infrastructure in the application process means that wind turbines and solar panels will be considered part of the evaluation of the producers' property risk assessment when applying for an LPA.
When producers sell livestock, they must complete the National Vendor Declaration to guarantee that the producers' animals are free from chemical and physical contaminants.
It is the responsibility of the producer to make sure they do not violate that guarantee.
Ross Johns, Wimmera Mallee Environmental & Agricultural Protection Association president and grain, lamb, and mutton producer, said he is not surprised that consumers want to know their food is produced safely.
"It is important that there is a recording and traceability process to follow through on this," he said.
"My question is whether the market will discount lamb and mutton or any other livestock produce as a result; it remains to be seen at this stage.
"If that were to be the case, it would have a significant effect on the market and individual producers."
Mr Johns leads an incorporated body representing 280 Western Victorian producers and farmers, who are growing at a rate of 10 per cent daily and are concerned about the future of agriculture in Victoria.
"If food safety is seen to be compromised, it leads people to change," he said.
Mr Johns said he has never seen a situation like the current one facing the agricultural industry.
"Australia is putting at risk its clean, green food production in favour of energy even though we see countries including the United States, China, and India pulling out of Net Zero," he said.
"Surely a government should be making the health and well-being of its people a priority."
However, the production team of Integrity Systems Company stated that ISC updated the LPA accreditation process on September 1, 2024, to a Self-Assessment one, with the core purpose of ensuring food safety while livestock are on the farm.
"The evaluation of risks generated by activities on a property where livestock are held forms part of the LPA accreditation process to ensure Australian red meat remains safe to eat," they said.
The operations team explained that just because an activity is taking place on a farm, it does not necessarily mean it poses a risk to livestock or food safety.
"ISC updated LPA guidance to prompt producers to consider solar panels or solar farms, as more properties begin leasing land for this purpose and are using livestock to graze and keep the grass under control," they said.
"ISC developed similar guidelines for gas wells as more properties entered into agreements for drilling a few years ago.
"It is guidance to help producers identify potential risks and control them if needed.
"This is through the completion and regular update of a property risk assessment. If a contamination risk exists, they need to manage and minimise that risk appropriately for their operation.
"The LPA Self-Assessment provides a prompt to help producers identify potential risks.
"There is no prohibition or restriction on having items such as transmission lines, solar panels, or any similar operations or equipment on property, and it does not impact obtaining or retaining LPA accreditation; there are no additional audit requirements."
Livestock producers must show that they comply with Australia's Livestock Production Assurance accreditation process at all times.
Producers are not prohibited from having renewable infrastructure on their land.
Still, they must include it in their property risk assessment and ensure livestock cannot access degraded or leaking components.
They must also have a plan for end-of-life management of infrastructure
The ISC team stated in its announcement that the LPA update was a prompt for proactive risk management, not a ban.
It reflected the growing awareness of long-term environmental risks associated with renewable energy systems as they age.
The LPA requires producers to identify and control contamination risks on their property and requires a Property Risk Assessment to be conducted as part of accreditation and reaccreditation for each property.
It is the Australian livestock industry's on-farm food safety program to meet stringent export market requirements. It addresses food safety, biosecurity, and animal welfare practices.
The LPA accreditation form states, under the "Food Safety on Your Property" section; The goal is to identify and mitigate risks of chemical or physical contamination that could compromise meat safety and asks producers to identify if its livestock have access to leaking electrical transformers, capacitors, hydraulic equipment, solar panels, wind turbines, coal seam gas structures or coal mine wastes?
The Clean Energy Council claims that while 90% of a wind turbine can be recycled upon decommissioning, the blades are challenging to dispose of due to their size and material composition.
According to the official website, poor disposal may lead to some leaching into the ground.
