MOUNTAIN cattlemen say the Federal Government's grazing ban in the high country will have implications for national parks across Australia.

Mr Burke yesterday said a Victorian Government application to reintroduce cattle to the Alpine National Park for a controlled grazing trial to research fire mitigation, would be rejected under national environmental law.

"National parks should not be used as a farm," Mr Burke said.

"It is there for nature and it is there for people to enjoy nature. It's not there to be used as a form of free feed for a handful of local users and it shouldn't be used in that way," he said.

"It is also true that we do have challenges in the Alpine National Park on dealing with bushfire, on dealing with weeds, on dealing with invasive species. On those issues, I say to the Victorian Government, if they want to keep going through application after application every summer they can do that. Or if they want to view this as a cross roads, they can do that."

He said he'd be writing to the Victorian, NSW and the ACT governments to ask them to "sit down at the table" and work out a joint approach to weed, pest and fire management in alpine areas.

Mountain Cattlemens Association of Victoria president Mark Coleman told weeklytimesnow this morning Mr Burke's mind was already made up on the issue before seeking legal advice.

"It's very disappointing. I think for us it's about educating people about the alpine environment. The first year of the trial showed a lack of knowledge and the delay to the trial is a great shame," Mr Coleman said.

He said the decision had much wider implications.

"It affects every activity in national parks. Like in Western Australia there's mining, in Victoria water harvesting and tourism infrastructure. It's going to have repercussions."

He also said farmers would be concerned by the federal government intervention because many farms bordered on to national parks.

Mr Coleman said alpine grazing about land management and the lock-out in one of the most fire prone areas was a disaster.

He said the group was getting support from around the country and was working on several ideas to pursue the issue further.

Veteran mountain cattleman Charlie Lovick, whose Merrijig-based family has run cattle high up on King Billy Run beneath Mount Clear for more than 150 years, was not surprised by Mr Burke's decision, but defiant.

"We will fight this all the way. It's like spitting on the Australian flag if Tony Burke is allowed to get away with this," Mr Lovick told The Australian.

"This is about our history and our heritage; for us older blokes, we are the tradition bearers and it is up to us to keep our traditions and our unique knowledge of the mountains and that high country alive."

VFF livestock president Chris Nixon accused the Federal Government of interfering with issues to suit its own agenda.

"Land management has always been a state issue. Banning alpine grazing is a way for Tony Burke and the Federal Government to implement a green agenda to suit their own political needs," Mr Nixon said.

"The Victorian Government has the full support of the VFF to pursue all avenues to allow high country cattlemen to continue grazing stock in Victoria’s high country."

A spokeswoman for Environment Minister Ryan Smith said the government was still considering its options as it only received Mr Burke's decision late yesterday.

Read more at The Australian.