FARMERS from across the Liverpool Plains will gather near Breeza today, to discuss the ever-present threat of coal mines with Greens politicians in a public forum.
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Greens leader Richard Di Natale and the party’s mining spokesperson Jeremy Buckingham are on the “Bandicoot Trail”, hosting the event with New England Greens candidate Mercurius Goldstein.
The forum is being held at Breeza Station, the property of local farmer Andrew Pursehouse.
“We’re in the middle of the plain, so they can look south and see the proposed BHP site and look north and see the proposed Shenhua Watermark site,” Mr Pursehouse said.
Mr Pursehouse has met with Senator Di Natale and Mr Buckingham a number of times, as recently as August last year, and was “very impressed” with their understanding of the proposed mines.
The forum will also discuss innovations in agriculture, an area Mr Pursehouse said the Liverpool Plains was leading the field in.
“Farming on the Liverpool Plains is highly technical and it doesn’t matter where you look around here, you’ll see innovations in agriculture everywhere – that’s a given,” he said.
Mr Goldstein said the Greens were offering farmers a new program that can fund on-farm research and development, supported by a national centre for sustainable agriculture.
He said New England farmers would see the benefits from sustainable agriculture research in the form of better yields under hot and dry conditions, greater resilience against pest threats through biodiversity and soil management, and less thirsty crops.
“What better way to put Australia’s farming on a long-term sustainable footing than research which taps into the knowledge of our farm owners and managers, working alongside agricultural officers at the national centre for sustainable agriculture?“ Mr Goldstein said.
“The research and development funds total $75 million over four years, and there are 180 new jobs for agricultural extension officers to work with farmers who want to improve their efficiency and sustainability.
“The Greens are supporting innovative agriculture to feed and clothe Australia in the 21st century, while Barnaby Joyce keeps reaching back to the old ways that have all but destroyed the Murray-Darling system with weirs and pipelines.”
