http://www.foodconnect.com.au/2010/02/help-protect-agricultural-land-from-mining/ Local and Sustainable Foods Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:50:09 +1000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 http://www.foodconnect.com.au/2010/02/help-protect-agricultural-land-from-mining/comment-page-1/#comment-242 m.ranken Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:12:27 +0000 http://www.foodconnect.com.au/?p=6228#comment-242 I've watched and driven through many times a farming community in northern NSW who is coming to terms with the possibility of BHP mining for coal on what you might consider is some of the best farming country in the world with a micro climate to match. This area is called the Liverpool Plains. An area whom our own Dorothy Mckellar wrote about in the poem I love a sunburnt country.....the line being "a land of sweeping plains" refers to the liverpool plains. Now these farmers are an absolute inspiration to all who understand the importance of being connected to the land and all the people and community who work around you. Many of these farmers intend on handing their properties over to their children when the time is right, in other words they are simply custodians for the next generation. This is all under threat unless the present government changes its laws and ways it deals with big wealthy mining companies. Thank you to Food Connect and six degrees who are informing people about this plight and helping people do something about it by writing letters to the government leaders so we can keep them on the straight and narrow. Felton is another prime agricultural area just out of Toowoomba which is under threat from a big mining proposal and the farmers are also inspirational on the stand they are taking. Lets keep big mining companies off prime agricultural land so that the water ways, rivers and ancient acquifers arent contaminated, so that our children dont get horrific respiratory problems from opencut mining dust and so that our beautiful delicate farming land is not destroyed forever. Contrary to what some of the big mining heads say these two industries cannot work side by side. I’ve watched and driven through many times a farming community in northern NSW who is coming to terms with the possibility of BHP mining for coal on what you might consider is some of the best farming country in the world with a micro climate to match.
This area is called the Liverpool Plains. An area whom our own Dorothy Mckellar wrote about in the poem I love a sunburnt country…..the line being “a land of sweeping plains” refers to the liverpool plains.
Now these farmers are an absolute inspiration to all who understand the importance of being connected to the land and all the people and community who work around you.
Many of these farmers intend on handing their properties over to their children when the time is right, in other words they are simply custodians for the next generation.
This is all under threat unless the present government changes its laws and ways it deals with big wealthy mining companies. Thank you to Food Connect and six degrees who are informing people about this plight and helping people do something about it by writing letters to the government leaders so we can keep them on the straight and narrow.
Felton is another prime agricultural area just out of Toowoomba which is under threat from a big mining proposal and the farmers are also inspirational on the stand they are taking.
Lets keep big mining companies off prime agricultural land so that the water ways, rivers and ancient acquifers arent contaminated, so that our children dont get horrific respiratory problems from opencut mining dust and so that our beautiful delicate farming land is not destroyed forever. Contrary to what some of the big mining heads say these two industries cannot work side by side.

]]> http://www.foodconnect.com.au/2010/02/help-protect-agricultural-land-from-mining/comment-page-1/#comment-153 Emma Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:33:21 +0000 http://www.foodconnect.com.au/?p=6228#comment-153 I just sent mine in, but I added a point - the protection of good agricultural land (ie market gardens) in peri-urban areas. We need to save our farmers like Franco at Birkdale. I just sent mine in, but I added a point – the protection of good agricultural land (ie market gardens) in peri-urban areas. We need to save our farmers like Franco at Birkdale.

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