Exposing false claims about farmers is one of the key goals of the upcoming National Farmer Rally in Canberra, with consumers urged to stay alert to fake news from activist agendas.

NSW Farmers Conservation and Resource Management Committee Chair Bronwyn Petrie said the environmental credentials of the agricultural sector were not being accurately portrayed by special interest groups and activist agendas, who continued to peddle fake news to influence politicians.

“Claims that land clearing is out of control in agriculture are simply wrong and counterproductive to what should be a unified effort to care for our environment,” Mrs Petrie said.

“There is clear evidence that partnering with farmers improves conservation outcomes – such as the fact that forest cover in NSW has increased every year since 2007 – but this being is ignored by those who simply want to sell a message.

“We continue to see unfounded reports that farmers are recklessly clearing land by including vegetation management approvals, regrowth control, responsible removal of invasive species, land covered by non-woody vegetation, land affected by drought and disasters, and even land used for roads in figures on ‘land cleared for agriculture’, which is simply inaccurate and untrue.”

Anti-farming policies driven by false claims such as these would be the focus of the National Farmer Rally, Mrs Petrie said, and it was critical the right information was used to make the right decisions for the environment.

“Ill-informed activist agendas have gone too far and threaten to prevent farmers from protecting the environment as they produce the food and fibre that feeds the nation, as well as our export markets,” Mrs Petrie said.

“We know exactly how important the environment is, but building biodiversity and protecting our landscape needs to be done in partnership with farmers, or else practical solutions simply won’t be achieved.”