South-west Victorian farmers have used livestock to “spell out” what is at risk with unconventional gas mining in the region.
A concerned farmer group Gasfield Free West Victoria organised for 2000 sheep to run into a paddock and spell out ‘BAN GAS’ on Sunday morning, as a reminder to the Victorian Government of their concern for prime agricultural land.
It took two weeks to train the sheep to follow the grain trail spelling out the message.
Footage of the event was captured on video by local environmental engineer Heinz de Chelard, using his remotely controlled drone helicopter. Mal Rowe, who manages the farm south of Hamilton, said the large-scale sign was a worthwhile challenge if it encouraged the state government to ban unconventional gas in Victoria.
“The main recommendations from the recent gas inquiry in Victoria were that Victoria was nowhere near ready to be able to manage such an industry,” Mr Rowe said.
“The risks to the environment, to agriculture, to human health and social harmony were deemed to be too great. We want the Premier Daniel Andrews to give us certainty.”
At the event, Hamilton livestock agent Michael Kerr, Kerr & Co, said the south-west was a significant food and fibre production region and should not be at risk.
Dairy farmer Liz Jordon said the region’s farms including her Wallacedale farm where they milk about 360 mainly Jersey cows, were at risk if the surface or ground water on which they rely was contaminated by unconventional gas mining exploration or extraction.
She said the threat of unconventional gas mining was a cloud of the future of agriculture in the region and if the Victorian Government was serious about encouraging young people into the industry, they would ban the practice and give certainty to farmers young and old.
She said the mining practice would also jeopardise Australia’s export markets that were underpinned by the country’s “clean, green image”.
She was one of four farmers that met with Victorian Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford on Monday in Ballarat to put forward their concerns.
Ms Jordon said Ms Pulford “...seemed to have a pretty good understanding of the issue and seemed to have genuine concerns including about the economic impact any risk to agriculture would have on the state.”
The farmer group used the sign to draw attention to their concerns and urge people to make submissions to the Senate Select Committee on Unconventional Gas Mining that is to report on or before June 30.
