Ballina Councillor Rod Bruem says he’s concerned the future of Shire’s only agricultural show at Alstonville is being threatened by legal action brought on by a group including animal rights extremists.

“The Alstonville Show is Ballina Shire’s longest-running community event, celebrated since 1890. Its future is being threatened by a mix of people including extremists who are being backed by the Ballina Greens political party. They want to shut down the show because they think it exploits animals and that livestock causes pollution.

“The opponents include people who’ve bought homes adjacent to the Showgrounds and don’t like the idea of events with animals being held there. Of course, the showground was there first.

Councillor Bruem has asked for an urgent council briefing on the legal impasse that has developed after the Alstonville Agriculture Society (AAS) sought permission to upgrade facilities to meet modern standards.

“The AAS received a grant from the NSW Government for major improvements and they believe they received necessary planning approvals from Ballina Shire Council and the Crown Lands department to go ahead. It fell apart after work commenced and the council started getting complaints on behalf of nearby residents.

“The case is now before the Land and Environment Court and the AAS is facing a legal bill that I understand is already in excess of $100k - it could end up crippling the organisation and bankrupting the show.

"It should never have reached the stage and I hope council can enter into negotiations in good faith with the AAS as soon as possible to try and ensure the matter doesn’t get any further out of hand, either for the show society or for ratepayers.

“We have a very real problem here with people who in some cases are new to country living and just don’t understand what country shows are all about and what a key role they play in the community. 

“If activists are successful in shutting down the Alstonville Show on what I regard as very spurious and woke grounds, there are implications for country shows around NSW, especially for those with historic grounds that are close to valuable residential homes like Alstonville,” Mr Bruem said.