A Darling Downs farmer has accused a multinational energy company's plan for coal-seam gas drilling will "bugger up the groundwater."
Springvale mixed grains farmer Doug Browne is part of an alliance of more than 20 farming families who have signed a 'gas field-free declaration' against Shell and PetroChina's Arrow Energy Surat Gas Project which wants to access more than 20,000 hectares of priority agricultural land.
On March 25 in Toowoomba, the farmers protested against Arrow Energy's next phase of CSG drilling which they said would would directly impact all farmers who have signed the declaration.
But an Arrow Energy spokesperson denied the claim and said the company "operates in one of the most highly-regulated industries in the world", and takes a "science-based approach to our operations,"
However, Mr Browne said Queensland's prime agricultural land and the groundwater sustaining it was "too important" to put at risk.
"Arrow is buggering up the groundwater, it is taking the coal seam gas water out like a vacuum," he said.
"My fear is we're going to lose the Condamine Alluvium where we get our groundwater from.
"We don't have town water here."
Mr Brown said local farmers would "lock our gates to Arrow energy."
"I have a high-tech irrigation system and I don't waste water," he said.
"Water is life, water sustains everything.
"If you haven't got water you can't grow food, water is the most important thing in my book."
However, the Arrow Energy spokesperson said the company was producing the gas needed for the "clean energy transition."
"When fully operational, our Surat Gas Project will have the capacity to produce enough gas to power more than four million homes every day," the spokesperson said.
"Arrow is currently operating in the Dalby region, and we will engage extensively with communities before expanding to new areas in the Surat.
"Arrow's operations bring significant benefits to local communities, including hundreds of local jobs (and) in the past four years alone, we have invested around $60 million in local road upgrades, and over $5 million in social and community initiatives."
The spokesperson said the company had "hundreds of productive relationships with landholders across the Surat, and we genuinely believe the agricultural and gas industries can be productive side-by-side."
But Cecil Plains cotton and mixed grains farmer Liza Balmain said the energy provider was fooling no-one and the agricultural community was united on this issue.
"Industry and government peddle a fantasy that coexistence is possible on intensively farmed cropping land," she said.
"Reality shows this is not the case.
"We have seen the impacts further north and west and know that this industry is totally incompatible with food and fibre production.
"There is no way a loss-making coal seam gas company like Arrow, with its shoddy track record, should be allowed to threaten the groundwater that sustains Queensland's food-bowl on the Darling Downs."
Ms Balmain said the gas field-free declaration was "a powerful message to Arrow Energy and the Queensland government of our community's opposition to coal seam gas and its long-term harmful impacts is unwavering."
"We have been strongly opposed since Arrow Energy came into our area 15 years ago and our position has only grown stronger with the more knowledge we have gained," she said.
"The impacts to our land and groundwater are insurmountable (and) we will not be accepting coal seam gas mining on or under our properties.
"Arrow Energy and its shareholders need to abandon the Surat Gas Project expansion plans over the Condamine Floodplain."
Last year, Toowoomba Regional Council voted to oppose new coal seam gas drilling in its area due to concerns about the impact the industry posed to groundwater and priority agricultural land.
In early 2022 the Minister for Resources Scott Stewart issued a statement confirming the company was fined $1 million for illegally drilling beneath farms without notifying the property owner.
Mr Browne said he also feared for the CSG impact on the next generation. of farmers.
"It's time for politicians to support a ban on coal seam gas drilling on prime agricultural land," he said.
"And a moratorium on new coal seam gas projects across the state."
Know more about this issue? Contact Alison Paterson on 0437 861 082.
