Somerset's prime concern

Five drilling sites on council road reserve were identified by Coalbank Limited in December with the company giving council 48 hours notice before starting the exploration.

Somerset Regional Council Mayor Graeme Lehmann said council's position on coal exploration and coal seam gas mining was made clear when a moratorium was declared on January 2012.

"There has always been a great deal of concern in the local and broader community about the potential impacts of coal exploration and the impacts it could have on our region," Mr Lehmann said.

"The scary thing is that it's not just Coalbank who have approved permits to test for coal or other minerals in this region."

Current permits have been granted to companies including China Australia Mining, Mineral and Coal Investments and Coal Face Resources.

Coalbank chief operating officer Bruce Patrick confirmed the company had finished the first round of scout drilling and expected the results to be released through the stock exchange in coming weeks.

"We will evaluate our next step after getting the results back - we're only a small company but we've already had some very positive inquiries from skilled workers in the area," Mr Patrick said, adding mining companies often used the geological history of the surrounding land to find larger deposits of coal and minerals.

Toogoolawah rural ambassador Caitlin McConnel has a long history in the area with her great grandfather having established the oldest identified family business in Queensland, Cressbrook, in 1841. She said she was aware of the reliance on products created from the mining industry but it need not come at the cost of prime agricultural land.

"At what point do we as a nation put a stop to the sacrificing of land for the sake of generating short-term economic boosters to our GDP through mining royalties," she said.

"Effective primary production needs to start in the domestic arena and it is as simple as protecting our farmland and creating a more conducive economic climate for farmers.

"Unfortunately ignorance in our domestic consumers awareness of these issues plays a significant role in these decisions, and without a cultural shift, I fear the days of the Aussie farmer and agricultural land are significantly limited."

Ms McConnel said mining in the area would significantly impact primary production and influence the long-term sustainability of south-east Queensland's largest reliable drinking water catchments, Wivenhoe dam.

"We are a region that maintains a fierce pride of our agricultural history alongside our acute awareness of the district's unique position as an agricultural education, production and tourism centre."

The state government may trump any future mining in the area after announcing plans to consider increasing the size of Wivenhoe dam and build a number of new dams to lessen the impact of major floods.

Ms McConnel said producers and residents now questioned whether the region would become a mining site or remain as a catchment and production area.

"We are all too aware that those who produce the food are the last ones to be thought about or even given a say in decisions affecting their livelihood," she said.