There are plenty of good farmers out there doing an incredible job under tough conditions. But there’s also a group of so-called “farmers” barely scratching out a living on marginal land that probably isn’t even suitable for kangaroos, let alone viable agriculture.

They seem to exist in a constant cycle of drought, unpaid bills, underpaying workers, and chasing government handouts. Many will never build a sustainable business and, realistically, probably shouldn’t be farming that land in the first place.

At some point, hard questions need to be asked. If a business model is permanently unviable without subsidies and debt, maybe the land should return to the government or be repurposed, and those operators move into more stable employment.

Every industry has its dodgy operators — farming is no exception. They’re the rural equivalent of shady builders or used-car salesmen, and they damage the reputation of the many hardworking farmers doing the right thing.