Greens move to protect prime farmland from mining

"The Greens Safeguarding Agricultural Land and Water From Mining Bill aims to protect the states prime food-producing land from damage caused by mining developments", Ms Rhiannon said.

"This Bill is needed as successive Labor and Coalition governments have sided with the minerals industry, at the expense of local food production, rivers and aquifers.

"Farmers are being short changed by Mining Minister Ian Macdonald who appears to have forgotten that he is also responsible for agriculture.

"This bill would prohibit new mining developments and mining exploration on land defined as prime agricultural land. The bill would also ban mining and mining exploration within a kilometre of the rivers and aquifers that feed prime farmland.

"This bill is not an ambit claim. Prime agricultural land is a limited and precious resource and this bill has been carefully drafted to protect only the most valuable land in NSW.

"If Labor or the Coalition parties vote against this Bill they will in effect be siding with the interests of mining multinationals over that of local farmers.

"These parties will be hard pressed to oppose this legislation as the evidence is already in that open cut and long wall coal mining causes lasting damage to aquifers and water catchment areas.

"The Greens have developed this Bill in conjunction with farming communities fighting coal mining developments on the fertile Liverpool Plains and Gloucester Valley.

"A chorus of climate change scientists have predicted decreasing food harvests. We are sending a clear message to the government that protecting farmland and water catchments must be put before mining interests.

"Future generations will pay for this destruction decades after profits have been posted and mining companies have deserted the communities.

"Debate on the Greens Bill will resume when the NSW parliament returns in June", Ms Rhiannon said.

For comment or a copy of the Greens bill 92303551, 0427861568