SCL “a good start”
SCL “a good start”
Thursday, 27 Oct 2011
It has been a long time coming, but Queensland farm lobby group AgForce is pleased to see legislation to protect strategic cropping land finally presented to State Parliament.
After two years of lobbying AgForce CEO Robert Walker said the new laws represent a solid start to protecting some of Queensland‘s best food-producing country from open cut coal mining, however the coal seam gas sector remains a concern.
“We congratulate the Queensland government on being the first state to introduce such laws and AgForce will closely monitor their on-ground success as they are rolled out,” Mr Walker said.
“As welcome as it is however, the strategic cropping legislation will preserve only a small percentage of Queensland’s best farm land where food crops are grown. It won’t protect land used to graze sheep and cattle which are also critical industries to feed Queensland and world consumers.”
Mr Walker said the next step in this process will be to work on a Strategic Grazing Land criteria and AgForce will continue to highlight the importance of all agriculture for long-term national and international food security.
“Coal mines might produce short-term income for Queensland but they also permanently damage our landscape for food production. A mine might have a life of 30 or 40 years, scar the land and then it’s gone, while farmers are producing food in perpetuity,” said Mr Walker.
AgForce will also maintain pressure on the State government to ensure the activities of Queensland’s other major resource industry, the coal seam gas sector, are tightly regulated.
“We remain very concerned that CSG activities have the strong potential to permanently damage underground water reserves, and urge the government to produce the science that proves it won’t,” Mr Walker said.
After two years of lobbying AgForce CEO Robert Walker said the new laws represent a solid start to protecting some of Queensland‘s best food-producing country from open cut coal mining, however the coal seam gas sector remains a concern.
“We congratulate the Queensland government on being the first state to introduce such laws and AgForce will closely monitor their on-ground success as they are rolled out,” Mr Walker said.
“As welcome as it is however, the strategic cropping legislation will preserve only a small percentage of Queensland’s best farm land where food crops are grown. It won’t protect land used to graze sheep and cattle which are also critical industries to feed Queensland and world consumers.”
Mr Walker said the next step in this process will be to work on a Strategic Grazing Land criteria and AgForce will continue to highlight the importance of all agriculture for long-term national and international food security.
“Coal mines might produce short-term income for Queensland but they also permanently damage our landscape for food production. A mine might have a life of 30 or 40 years, scar the land and then it’s gone, while farmers are producing food in perpetuity,” said Mr Walker.
AgForce will also maintain pressure on the State government to ensure the activities of Queensland’s other major resource industry, the coal seam gas sector, are tightly regulated.
“We remain very concerned that CSG activities have the strong potential to permanently damage underground water reserves, and urge the government to produce the science that proves it won’t,” Mr Walker said.