“This is an issue that directly affects the way we conduct our business,” he said. Mr Gordon is urging other local farmers to get behind this important cause.

He is one of many farmers across Australia who are asking what it actually means to ‘own’, or pay the mortgage on parcel of farm land. They purchase land so that they can use it to produce food and fibre. Understandably, they believe that title to the land provides the security they need to invest in the farm – as a real estate holding, in capital improvements and as their home.

But each year this security, the confidence that farmers hold regarding the foundations of their existence, is being eroded by the action and sometimes inaction of government.

The issue was put in the spotlight at last weeks rally in Canberra with over 4000 farmers rallying in support of property rights.

A second rally is being planned for Sydney at the end of the month. You can also show your support by signing a petition which is available in local business houses or online at www.nswfarmers.org.au.

Meanwhil e he NSW Farmers' Association has strongly welcomed the announcement of a Senate Inquiry into land - clearing and environmental laws and their effects on famers and landholders.

"The NSW Farmers' Association has been working for years to get Government to understand how badly these laws effect production for farmers, and we are very pleased the Senate will look at these issues," according to Association President Charles Armstrong.

"We are extremely worried that farmers continually face an erosion of their property rights through governmental legislation that often doesn't recognise this impact," he said. "The Productivity Commission estimates that the cost in lost production caused by bans placed on farmers developing their own land is $600 million annually," he said.

The NSW Farmers' Association is planning on making a submission to the Inquiry, and will be discussing this with the National Farmers' Federation at the earliest opportunity. "For the thousands of farmers who travelled to Canberra to say enough is enough, and the thousands more who have signed our petition, this is a win. "We look forward to working with the Inquiry for a solution to the erosion of property rights," Mr Armstrong concluded.