Extracts from a Submission for EES on the Fingerboards Mineral Sands Mining project in East Gippsland* for Farmers for Climate Action
We strongly oppose this mine, as it will put Victoria’s food and water security at risk, will directly and adversely impact the local farming region, has no social licence from local food producers or the community and does not consider the need to support farmers in adapting to worsening climate change conditions.
Farmers for Climate Action (FCA) is a movement of over 5000 farmers, agricultural leaders and rural Australians located right across Australia, driven by a desire to be part of the solution to climate change.
Climate change is already impacting our farms and our communities. We are working hard to adapt, but we can’t do it alone. We need our political leaders to stand up and lead on climate action, and we need the tools to continue to adapt, and mitigate, climate change where we live.
We support farmers to build climate and energy literacy and advocate for climate solutions both on and off farm. We are independent, non-profit and non-partisan.
Food security underpins our continued existence as a civilisation, and in Australia food security is much more fragile than most Australians understand. Farmers for Climate Action is a movement of farmers, agricultural leaders and rural Australians working to ensure farmers are a key part of the solution to climate change.
Climate change threatens Australia’s capacity to feed ourselves and the nations which we export food to which is why protecting highly productive food growing regions like The Fingerboards should be an absolute priority.
*This is the introduction to the Farmers for Climate Action Submission. Hopefully more to follow. The full paper can be accessed here. The author was a prominent organiser in Gippsland for the grassroots ‘Lock the Gate’ movement. I have blogged on the Kalbar proposals here and here. Ed.