Queensland Consolidated Acts

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT 1994 - SECT 81

81 What is an agricultural ERA standard

(1) An
"agricultural ERA standard" is an ERA standard for an agricultural ERA that states it is an agricultural ERA standard.

Note—

See section 318 for the chief executive’s power to make an ERA standard.

(2) The purpose of an agricultural ERA standard is to ensure the agricultural ERA to which the standard relates is carried out in a way that best achieves—

(a) the purpose of this chapter; and

(b) the objective of preventing contaminants entering, or minimising the amount of contaminants that enter, the water of the Great Barrier Reef because of the agricultural ERA being carried out on land in the Great Barrier Reef catchment; and

Examples of contaminants that may enter the water of the Great Barrier Reef because of an agricultural ERA—

nutrients, other chemicals, sediment

(c) an objective set by an environmental protection policy under section 77 .

(3) Without limiting section 318 , an agricultural ERA standard may include a standard condition—

(a) about the use of water, nutrients, agricultural chemical products or other substances in carrying out the agricultural ERA; or

(b) that requires compliance with a prescribed methodology for—

(i) working out the amount of a nutrient to be applied to a crop, plant or soil without exceeding the needs of the crop or plant, or a plant in the soil; or

(ii) conducting tests related to carrying out the agricultural ERA, including, for example, tests of soil, water or plants and the intervals at which the tests must be carried out; or

(iii) another matter related to carrying out the agricultural ERA; or

(c) about the way land, the features of land and farming infrastructure are designed and used, and farming operations are undertaken, to carry out the agricultural ERA.

Examples of features of land that may be designed and used to carry out an agricultural ERA—

the slope of the land, land banks, drainage channels

(4) The chief executive must review an agricultural ERA standard at least once—

(a) in the period of 5 years after the standard is made; and

(b) in each subsequent 5-year period.

(5) A review must be started during a period mentioned in subsection (4) and completed within 1 year.

(6) In this section—

"prescribed methodology" , for a matter, means a methodology for the matter prescribed by regulation for this section.