DURING election campaigns we hear promises of cutting red tape and pulling the bureaucracy into line, which has not happened with the current Victorian Government.

During this Government's time in office, the number of public servants has doubled.

Meanwhile, dairy farmers are expected to produce milk as efficiently as possible, or go out of business.

They now have larger herds on more hectares, often across the road, requiring bulky equipment such as front-end loaders to handle round hay bales and lift silage from pits to be loaded on to a trailer to feed stock daily.

A few months ago VicRoads proposed new restrictions on the use of these machines on the road, as eight people have been killed in the past five years in collisions involving tractors and machines.

Loss of life is tragic at any time, but that doesn't mean tractors and motorbikes should be banned.

The proposed restrictions include: banning front-end loaders from the road with a round bale of hay; no travel empty with forks fitted; no silage trailer with green chop to pass a school during the speed-limit time, and no travelling on the road after dark. Suspension will be compulsory on these trailers, making them much more dangerous in the paddock.

Farmers will need to tarp a silage trailer when travelling on the road, and the definition of "mountainous country" for Baw Baw Shire is north of the Princes Highway, where you would have to travel 10km in many parts before it gets hilly, much less mountainous.

Of course, all of these actions will carry more expense in the form of time and money, as applications are sought, permission granted and licences received.

If a compromise can't be found, one simple task, for example shifting a bale of hay from the shed to the paddock across the road, may take an hour or more instead of 15 minutes.

Recently more than 400 people attended a meeting in Warragul, organised by local machinery dealer Alan Slater.

The meeting was addressed by VicRoads chief executive officer Don Hogden, Australian Agricultural Contractors Association president Duncan McNeil, and Tractor and Machinery Association chief executive officer Vin Delahunty.

A worthwhile discussion followed, which led to another working session.

It has been agreed no action will be taken before Christmas, but the parties are still a long way from achieving agreement.

Let us hope common sense can prevail, to avoid the dairy industry being slowly strangled by red tape wielded by bureaucrats who have no idea of the outcomes of their decisions.