THE farmers at the centre of the fight against the approval of a coal mine on the Liverpool Plains have welcomed some high-profile support.
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Former US vice-president Al Gore has been in Australia for a whistle-stop tour that has included meetings with state government ministers and senior business figures, as part of efforts to build global momentum towards the Paris climate change summit later this year.
Earlier this week he met with business leaders at the University of Melbourne, where it was reported new NSW Farmers’ Association president Derek Schoen highlighted the Shenhua proposal.
Mr Schoen said Mr Gore noted the position of the mine on prime farmland and described the decision as “appalling”.
Earlier this month NSW Farmers called on all Australians to sign an online open letter protesting against federal approval of the Shenhua Watermark coal project.
Mr Schoen said at that time the project would pierce a hole in the heart of Australian agriculture.
At its recent association conference in Sydney, members also used the final motion of the three-day event to roundly endorse and pass policy recognising the impact that variable climate had on farming.
The motion, developed and moved by the association’s Young Farmers’ Council, overhauled the association’s pre-existing policy in relation to climate change.
Mr Schoen said Mr Gore was aware of the policy change, prompting his invitation to the Melbourne event.