Farm Management Plan

The Farm Management Plan provides a clear understanding of how and where Santos proposes to operate on the farm – before the access and compensation agreement is settled.  The plan, which will be prepared collaboratively with the landholder but at Santos expense under the guidance of specialist farm consultants, provides the farmer with a clear set of undertakings from Santos as to how and where it will operate on the land, in recognition of and to coordinate with the day to day, season to season farm operations. The agreement will cover:

Access arrangements

• Agreed access route to the property
  
• List of key day to day contacts within Santos 
  
• The number and types of vehicles and equipment that will be on the property and the frequency of their movements
  
• How many people will be on site, will they be staying on site and how will they be transported around the property
  
• Visitor protocols whilst on the property – gates, fences, interaction with stock 
  
• A clear protocol for updating the farmer during activity - agree a weekly site inspection and timing of more regular calls
  
• Hours of operation and expected number of days in total with reasonable notice period for landholder if there are any changes to this either shortening or lengthening the time

Location of infrastructure

• Agreed positioning of core holes, wells and equipment and other infrastructure such as pipes, roads etc with existing farm infrastructure used wherever possible

Environmental protection

• What water monitoring will occur on the property and in the district pre and post the activity. (Currently all registered bores within a 2 kilometre radius will be tested before and after drilling and the results shared with the relevant landholder)
  
• A list of all Chemicals on site, their purpose and safety handling arrangements
  
• How any light, noise or dust impacts be managed (light and noise studies will be conducted to ascertain if there will be any impacts prior to commencing work, if likely, Santos will put in place appropriate mitigation, we will water roads to negate dust impacts)
  
• Arrangements for waste management and collection
  
• Determination if any access to water from the property will be required and if not  where water supply will be sourced and how
  
• Outline and explain the plan and timelines for rehabilitation of the site once the activity is complete.

Preparation of the Farm Management Plan provides the landholder with a another substantial benefit because the documentation will include comprehensive descriptions of paddock layouts, access points and procedures, farm infrastructure, instructions for working in the vicinity of livestock; descriptions of soil types and allowable vehicle and machinery movements and the like.

For many farmers, such documentation will provide an invaluable tool to complement their own farm management assisting with training and managing farm employees, contractors and service providers as well as assisting as a business management tool.