Farmers call for science to trump propaganda

Farmers and graziers are demanding Adani and the Queensland Resources Council end their propaganda campaign on the back of further revelations the Federal Government pushed CSIRO to approve Adani’s water management plan in a single afternoon.

Farmers for Climate Action CEO Verity Morgan-Schmidt said: “Now more than ever, farmers need certainty and integrity from politicians and decision makers. That certainty comes from trusting frank and fearless scientific advice, not allowing decisions to be compromised by politics and external pressure.”

“Not only are Queensland farmers and graziers on the front line of climate change, they’re also dealing with a Federal Government which appears willing to risk potentially irreversible damage to Queensland’s groundwater, and a well funded and divisive propaganda campaign.”

Jericho grazier Bruce Currie said the future of his property, landowners and communities relying on the Great Artesian Basin water supplies all hinged on good science, and an understanding of risk and cumulative impacts.

“We have been told repeatedly by government that this project will only go ahead if the scientific evidence stacks up. Yet, it’s becoming increasingly clear that politics is being allowed to trump science, with politicians willing to put our groundwater at risk for a project with ever diminishing returns.

“Right now, the remaining groundwater approvals for this project rest with the Queensland regulator. It is absolutely essential that the regulator be allowed to do their job, without propaganda and political pressure.

“We all know that burning thermal coal is one of the main drivers of climate change and that climate change is making it increasingly difficult to grow the food and fibre on which the world relies. For the sake of food security and agriculture in Queensland, it’s time for politicians to get their head out of the coal pit.”

Farmers for Climate Action is a movement of farmers, agricultural leaders and rural Australians working to ensure that farmers, who are on the frontline of climate change, are a key part of its solution.