A DALBY landholder is initiating court proceedings seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation against coal seam gas proponent QGC.
Allan Leech is seeking the damages after his 618ha property, Halliford Station, which holds four QGC gas wells, was inundated with African lovegrass weed more than two years ago.
After inviting a leading academic expert on lovegrass to inspect his property, Mr Leech claims the inundation can be pinpointed to a slasher driven by a QGC contractor several years ago, which the landholder confronted at the time and discovered did not possess a wash down certificate.
Whilst QGC has refused in several meetings with the landholder and his lawyers to accept full responsibility for the weed spread, the company has fenced off tens of acres of his property where the lovegrass is located.
Mr Leech also alleges the company had not learnt from its previous error after he discovered several more vehicles in recent weeks on his land that did not have the appropriate wash down certification.
After discovering the infestation in 2011, Mr Leech decided to immediately destock and has not earned an income from the property since. But he said he had returned about 40 cows and calves at the property in recent weeks in an effort to keep the fuel load down, where his land neighbours state forest.
Mr Leech alleged QGC had also refused to provide details of its intended spray program to control or eradicate the weed despite repeated requests.
Mr Leech's lawyer, Josh Aylward of Shine Lawyers, Dalby, said expert analysis of the weed based on its age, its location in relation to QGC's activities and QGC's alleged lack of wash down over the years, suggested it was "far more likely than not" the infestation was caused by QGC's actions.
"The age of the oldest weeds date from the time QGC began activities on the property. The oldest weeds are located where QGC began their activities," he said. "Allan is fastidious about weed control - he washes down his own vehicles; he has a vehicle he drives off the property and another he drives around the property. So when you add all this together, it is hard to see how it would not be QGC which brought on the lovegrass."
Mr Aylward said the academic analysis he obtained would form part of the landholder's argument when court proceedings take place.
"There have been meetings between the QGC and the landholder, including meetings with government representatives; however, QGC's attitude at these meetings has been to deny any liability and not offer any meaningful compensation," he said.
"The gas workers on the ground need to be better educated about their obligations for wash down, and the penalties for the companies for people who do not comply with these obligations need to be increased, otherwise this problem will just continue. We are getting many complaints about weed issues. The companies need to man up to this issue and take responsibility"
Mr Aylward said the landholder would also seek compensation for a 4-metre-wide and 4m-deep hole dug by QGC for unknown reasons in the middle of a paddock at the property that contained cows and calves at the time.
"QGC has a conduct and compensation agreement to do certain activities and the creation of that hole was not one of those activities," Mr Aylward said.
"Despite all the meetings we have had with QGC, the company to this day has not told us and will not tell us who dug the hole, why they dug the hole or what the hole was actually meant to be."
A spokesman for QGC said weed management specialists who conducted a survey and causal investigation in 2012 said the weed existed on the property before QGC's activities.
"The survey also found that QGC and others had contributed to the problem between three and four years ago," the spokesman said.
"QGC has sought to take responsibility for its part by offering appropriate compensation and by offering to undertake a six-month weed eradication program. The landholder has rejected these offers.
"In the interim we have been carrying out an ongoing weed maintenance program, with the most recent spraying taking place on May 3."
Mr Leech, who has been working in the real estate industry for many years, claimed the weed infestation had more than halved his farm's value.
"I've got to keep improving the property with fencing and things like that just to try and recover the value that I have lost," he said.
"This company has ruined my property and ruined my family's lifestyle."