Myalup farmer questions proposed plans to level beloved pine forest for new market gardensCraig DuncanSouth Western TimesWed, 1 October 2025 3:17PMEmail Craig Duncan
A South West farmer has talked down the proposed plans to level a pine forest for new market gardens, saying it makes no financial sense.
For the past 30 years Peter Ivankovich has been growing produce for export as a market gardener in Myalup, and is questioning the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s plan to chop down the Myalup pine plantation for new farms in the region.
DPIRD’s plans came to light earlier this year, with many in the Harvey community against the proposal.
Mr Ivankovich questioned how it could be feasible to open a new farm in the region when so many operations are already under financial pressure.
He said a lack of support, paired with the rising cost of electricity and water, had led to the export industry’s profits falling massively in recent years. He said many farmers were close to breaking point.
“Our input costs have gone through the rood, our electricity went up 50 per cent and the produce price went down,” he said.
“Our main market is export, and that’s been a disaster since COVID — we’ve had to stop growing carrots because we we’re making a loss.”
Mr Ivankovich said he would much rather see investment go into existing market gardens in the region before opening up new spaces.
With DPIRD saying the plans would not come into place until at least 2030 — and could take at least 30 years to fully remove the forest — Mr Ivankovich said he did not understand the long-term feasibility of the proposal.
“It all costs money, and if we’re not making any money now, what are we going to do later?” he said.
DPIRD is currently on the second stage of their MPIR Project Timeline Social Impact Assessment and will conduct a feasibility assessment next.
Online documents said, if progressed, the Primary Industries Reserve Investigations could support the expansion of high-value horticultural land in the region by up to 1500ha of new land.
This would enable the “production of annual and perennial crops like carrots, potatoes, onions, broccoli, and citrus, while complementing existing horticulture in Myalup”.
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