“Grown men reduced to tears”: the laws pushing farmers to the brink

<p>Brett Hosking is a fifth-generation grain and livestock farmer, and has seen his fair share of heartache and hard times.</p> <p>But this time, it&rsquo;s not a natural disaster or a foreign war that&rsquo;s threatening to tip farmers over the edge, but a decision from the Victorian government.</p> <p>The state has passed new compulsory acquisition laws which make it easier for energy companies to acquire farmers&rsquo; land and build transmission lines and renewable energy projects on it.</p> <p>Today, Victorian Farmers Federation …