ACTION: Ian Moore says his stance is about the future of agriculture in Australia. – Picture by Ryan Osland
CATTLE farmer Ian Moore may be legally blind but he says the spread of mining through the Hunter Valley has been impossible to miss.
‘‘We’ve lived with mines in the Singleton Shire all my life, it’s only the last probably 10 years they’ve got out of control and farmers are just second-class citizens,’’ he said.
Mr Moore, 62, and his wife Robyn are headed to the Land and Environment Court next month in a contentious case to try to stop NuCoal Resources from conducting exploratory drilling on his land at Jerrys Plains, in preparation for a major longwall mining project.
Mr Moore is worried about possible subsidence from longwall mining and the impact on water.
He is also asking the court to take into consideration his vision impairment, which he says makes any intrusion on his land problematic and makes moving farms impossible.
‘‘I live on memory,’’ he said. ‘‘I know this place backwards.’’ But, he concedes, his stance is about more than just his own farm: ‘‘It’s about the future of agriculture in this country.’’
Mr Moore and the company have been in negotiations since July 2010, with two hearings finding in favour of the company. A NuCoal spokesman said the company had offered to take special precautions in light of Mr Moore’s disability, but rejected the suggestion the drilling risked his livelihood in any way. SMH
Newcastle Herald
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