Cr Rush also detailed Muswellbrook Shire Council’s draft strategy on land use and policy on coalmine rehabilitation.

The federation’s CSG taskforce also toured a Singleton thoroughbred horse stud, BHP Billiton’s Mt Arthur Coal mine and met with the Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association.

“This week’s tour focuses on the multiple land use change issues in the Hunter Valley, including mining urban development and CSG developments, and the impact they have had on local landholders,” NFF vice-president Duncan Fraser said.

According to Cr Rush, land use planning could have allowed the CSG industry in Muswellbrook Shire; instead open-cut coalmines occupy land that could have been better used for gas extraction.

Cr Rush said land use conflicts could have been avoided if the state government had planned to release coal exploration licences in a staged and orderly way that accounted for the emerging CSG industry.

“In Muswellbrook most of the areas that present with least land use problems for CSG, that is to say where CSG drainage would have been a better land use, are occupied by open-cut coalmines.

“CSG exploration leases have been pushed into land, the best use of which is for thoroughbred breeding and other agricultural enterprises,” he said.

“One consequence therefore of poor state government land planning is the likelihood that the CSG industry will not have a future in the Muswellbrook local government area.”

The aims of the federation’s taskforce are that no productive agricultural land be damaged, that there be no net impact on valuable water resources, and that respect is shown for farmers and regional communities.

Members of the taskforce include NSW Farmers president Fiona Simson from the Liverpool Plains and representatives from AgForce and Cotton Australia.

They will meet with farmers and other landholders today in Singleton.