The 2025 NSW Farmers Annual Conference, held in Sydney recently, brought together farmers from across the state, to address a range of critical issues shaping the future of agriculture.

Discussions spanned from urgent matters like energy and taxation to long-term concerns such as technology adoption and rural leadership development.

A central theme revolved around the energy transition, with farmers urging energy developers to contribute to funding emergency fire response teams.

This discussion underscored the sector's concerns about the impact of energy infrastructure on rural landscapes and the need for robust emergency services.

“The race to renewable energy is accelerating at breakneck speed, and farmers are finding their new neighbours are huge lithium batteries that can and will burst into flames,” NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said.

“If developers are going to create these risks, then they must be responsible for managing them – and there’s so much more to be done to get this renewable transition right."

The proposed "super tax" was another significant point of contention on the same day, drawing strong feedback from the farming community.

Farmers calling for stamp duty to be waived when moving farmland out of self-managed superfunds.

“Families are now weighing up their options and considering transferring farms out of these structures, but they’ll be up for significant costs to do so, including stamp duty at the state level,” Mr Martin said.

“This tax is going to be diabolical for our farmers – and our future farmers – so we have to do whatever we can to minimise the collateral damage.”

The conference also discussed contemporary challenges, with animal activism, artificial intelligence (AI), and the next generation of agriculture highlighted as hot topics for debate.

These discussions indicate the sector's focus on navigating evolving societal expectations, harnessing technological advancements, and ensuring a vibrant future workforce.

A number of motions of support were passed during the conference:

- Restoring mobile coverage to pre-3G shutdown levels, at a minimum, in NSW.

- Introducing dollar-for-dollar grants to fund feral pig control.

- Boosting large-scale government investment to eradicate pests and weeds.

- Introducing a legislated right to repair agricultural machinery.

- Creating affordable insurance products for young farmers .

- Removing emergency service levies and stamp duty from farm insurance policies.

- Pausing the adoption of native vegetation regulatory maps until proven accurate.

- Scoping out the possibility of launching a publicly funded regional airline.

- Further funding for the Farm Gate Counselling Program.

- Improving the design and implementation of flood warning systems.

- More regular reporting on non-tariff measures impacting agricultural trade.