Focus on Fodder - Australian Fodder Industry Association

Irrigation in Tasmania
Irrigation is expanding in Tasmania. This
is in contrast to the rest of Australia
where irrigation is either static or
contracting.
Tasmanian Irrigation (TI) Pty Ltd is the
State-owned company responsible for
development and operation of publiclyassisted
irrigation schemes in Tasmania.
Projects are built as public-private
partnerships to meet demand
for additional water from current
landholders. Private capital is raised by
the sale of water entitlements to each
scheme. The public contribution comes
from a pool of $220m set aside by the
State and Commonwealth governments
for the purpose.
This public assistance is for construction
only. This recognises that the wider
community will benefit from irrigation
development through increased
economic activity and employment
over time. This is borne out by the fact
that agriculture in Tasmania generates
returns to farmers of more than
$1 billion a year, about 60% of which
comes from the 8% of farmland that is
irrigated.
So far, four new irrigation schemes
have been completed by TI and its
farmer partners. These are the:
1. Sassafras Wesley Vale east of
Devonport;
2. Winnaleah augmentation in the
northeast;
3. Great Forester scheme in the
northeast; and
page 22
4. Whitemore Irrigation Scheme west
of Launceston.
A further two schemes are being built
now. These will irrigate the midlands.
The Lower South Esk Scheme will
irrigate the northern midlands from just
north of Campbell Town to the outskirts
of Evandale. The Midlands Water
Scheme will extend over the central and
southern midlands from the Campbell
Town region to below Kempton.
A seventh scheme, to service the
Kindred to North Motton area in
the Forth region, is undergoing final
design and approvals after reaching
the required threshold of water sales.
Also scheduled for water sales during
AFIA Newsletter Winter 2012
On Farm
the remainder of 2012 are the South
East Irrigation Scheme stretching
from Brighton through to near Forcett
and the Upper Ringarooma Irrigation
Scheme.
A further three projects are at various
stages in the northwest, the northeast
and southern highlands. TI also is
responsible for the suite of pre-existing
schemes such as those in the Meander
and Coal valleys.
Each and every scheme developed
by TI is a partnership with the local
community. The size and layout of each
project is determined by actual demand
from landholders for reliable water.
Projects will deliver water with at least
95% reliability.
There are three main reason farmers
are wanting the new and highly reliable
water.
1. To secure current operations,
because existing supplies are
unreliable or prone to shortage
during drought.
2. To expand current production. They
want to produce more but lack the
water to do so.
3. To diversify their farm enterprise.
They might be dry-land farmers who
have sections of their farm suitable
for higher value crops if only they
had access to reliable water.
Find out more by visiting
www.tasmanianirrigation.com.au A