Tuesday, January 31

Food zones for farmers in danger of coming a cropper


Still hoping … Kate Davidson on her cereal, legume and sorghum farm near Gunnedah yesterday. She says there is scepticism about whether land will be set aside solely for food production. Photo: Paul Matthews

A KEY election pledge by the state government to fence prime farmland off from mining interests is in danger of collapse, with the minerals and gas industries refusing to concede that any part of the state is off limits.

Confidential documents leaked from within the negotiation process show that the farming, resources and environmental groups that are developing the policy for ''food security'' zones are locked in stalemate.

The peak coal seam gas body, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, wrote to the government last month saying it did ''not support blanket 'no go' areas, as such an approach is subjective and is not based on justifiable evidence, scientific assessment of agricultural and conservation values, and nor does it have regard to economic considerations''.

SMH

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