Qld coal mining 'gobbling up crop land'

(AAP) - Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has hinted the state's massive coal export industry could face problems if clean coal technologies do not work.

As Queensland cabinet ministers gathered in Toowoomba, farmers confronted them over
the issue of agriculture versus mining.
Farmers and their families travelled from the Darling Downs communities of Felton
and Haystack Road to confront the ministers over the issue, claiming prime
food-growing land was being sacrificed to coal mining.
The premier, hosting a community cabinet meeting at Highfields, north of Toowoomba,
acknowledged the need for a balance between the competing interests and for a plan
to preserve high-value agricultural land.
She said coal was vital to Queensland's economy and the state has a 300-year supply.
She said Queensland was spending $300 million and the mining industry $600 million
attempting to make coal "clean".
"If we can do that it means that we will be able to successfully develop and
continue to develop that industry," Ms Bligh said.
She said thousands of families depend on the coal industry.
"I'm not going to walk away from it without having put every possible single effort
into protecting it and keeping it if that can be done in the context of the global
effort to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions."
Speaking on behalf of farmers at Felton, 30km southwest of Toowoomba, Rob McCreath
said an open cut coal mine bigger than any in Queensland was planned for land that
presently grows small crops and cereals.
He said mining would destroy the land and cause pollution.
A large petrochemical plant and power station were also planned, he said.
"The government has repeatedly said mining and farming can co-exist, but who's going
to eat a lettuce that's covered in coal dust?"
Spokesman for the Haystack Road farmers, Jeff Bidstrup, said Tarong Energy doesn't
want to mine the coal for which they have a mineral development licence.
"They just want to sell the deposit to the highest bidder, so giving them the
licence was just basically printing money.
"It's a money grab by the government, and selling some of our best agricultural land."
The farmers said there were dire warnings about future global food shortages and
agricultural land should be maintained.
"If in 30 or 40 years time if we decide we don't need food and we need coal more,
the coal will still be there.
"If we mine the country now the prime (agricultural) country's gone."
Mr Bidstrup said the needed to be an integrated plan for land use in the vast Surat
basin coal fields.
President of rural lobby group AgForce, John Cotter, said mining and agriculture had
co-existed for 150 years.
Mr Cotter said mining will destroy agricultural land.
"It's time we had a good hard look at how this is going to be in the long term," he
said.