IF YOU'RE buying a rural property, you won't be able to complain about farming activities next door once you move in under proposed new laws.

Tweed MP Geoff Provest supported the legislation in the Lower House.

He says it will reduce the number of cases appealed from the council to the Land and Environment Court, and the number of complaints to council.

If passed, buyers will have an obligation to work with their conveyancer to discover rural activities within the vicinity of their block before they buy it.

"That way a person would not be able to run off to the land and environment courts because cows are moo-ing at a dairy farm next door at 4am," Mr Provest said.

A long list of farming activities were covered by Right to Farm legislation "like harvesting crops early hours in the morning, spraying crops, quarry, knackery and fumigation activities".

Mr Provest said there were 500-600 rural conflict issues before the council, with one dairy farm complaint appealed to the Land and Environment Court.

Litigation and council compliance costs are an added pressure for farmers in the Northern Rivers, who are facing tough drought and economic conditions.

"As an example, every complaint to a dairy board means an inspector has to come out and the poor farmer has to pay a $400 fee," Mr Provest said.

Right to Farm laws have stalled in the Upper House, but newly appointed State Planning Minister Pru Goward has promised to push it past the Greens and Labor.

Right to Farm laws are part of new planning laws, which Mr Provest said would "halve the number of DAs before council".

"Residents will be free to build things like patios and garden sheds without waiting for approvals, if their zoning already allows for it," he said.