BellingenNSWFarmer "preferred profit and commercial interest over the environment."
The owner of Treetops Estate Pty Ltd has been fined $84,000 for illegal land clearing — much less than the $2.2 million it would have cost him if he had obtained a permit for the work. The farmer was convicted over clearing 112 hectares of bushland.
"The clearing significantly reduced high-value remnant vegetation and the habitat of 18 species of native birds, including three of conservational significance: peregrine falcon, purple-gaped honeyeater and black-chinned honeyeater." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-09/farm-owner-convicted-over-land-clearing-fine-less-than-permit/106543362
#biodiversity #LandClearing #deforestation #farming #crime #CostOfDoingBusiness #extinction #birds #EPBCact
'Preferred profit ... over the environment': Farm owner fined for clearing 112 hectares of bushland
The owner of a farm in South Australia's south-east is convicted and fined for clearing 112 hectares of bushland, but the penalty is much less than the $2.2 million he would have had to pay for a permit for the work.