Friday, 29 March 2024
65 Macleod Street, Bairnsdale, VIC 3875 - P: (03) 5150 2300

Local News

Water security, food security

Water security, food security

Concerned farmers, horticulturalist, John Hine, cattle and sheep farmers, Ken, Judi and John Alexander, grazier, Christa Treasure, and organic vegetable farmer, Kane Busch, gathered together last Friday to publicly oppose Kalbar’s planned open-cut mineral sands mine.

The farmers believe the mine site is in an inappropriate area and poses a threat to the community on economic, environmental, social and public health grounds. The site is on prime agricultural land near the Fingerboards past Lindenow on the Dargo Road.

The proposed mine will be 11 square kilometres and 45 metres deep (the size of the Latrobe Valley Hazlewood mine).

The mine will be as close as 350m from the Mitchell River (a heritage listed river that feeds the Gippsland Lakes) and 500m from the Lindenow Valley vegetable growing area, also known as Victoria’s food bowl, a $200 million per annum vegetable growing industry, and home to seven of Australia’s top 10 salad producers supplying major supermarkets across eastern Australia.

These farmers are all very close to the mine site and some of their farms will border the site.

They are seriously concerned they will go out of business if the mine goes ahead.

Kane Busch is worried he may lose his organic licence and will not be able to trade due to contamination from airborne dust from the mine, which may contain silica and radioactive particles if not contained.

John Hine, who has been farming in the area for 45 years, says vegetables for local and interstate markets will be grown as close as 500m downwind from the proposed mineral sands mine.

“Having a mine so close to this prime agricultural area and the Mitchell River, the source of water to irrigate these crops, is deeply concerning,” Mr Hine said.

“It is also adjacent to East Gippsland’s water storage dam, which supplies drinking water to Bairnsdale and surrounding townships.”

As the area is in the middle of a two-year drought and farmers are struggling to water their crops and feed their animals, one of the main concerns is water security.

John Alexander said his main concern was water.

“Having a mine in this area will be competing with an already established agricultural industry,” he said.

“Kalbar has stated they need four gigalitres of water a year for 20 years to operate; it seems implausible that this use of water would not impact farming in the entire area if the mine was to go ahead.”

PICTURED: John Hine – horticulturalist; Ken and Judi Alexander – cattle and sheep farmers; Christa Treasure – grazier; John Alexander – cattle and sheep farmer; and Kane Busch – organic vegetable farmer, all oppose the proposed Fingerboards Mineral Sands Mine.


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Yeates Media

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Bairnsdale, VIC 3875

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