A DECISION to give NuCoal Resources a lease for a travelling stock reservation at Jerrys Plains has outraged local farmers.
The stock reserve, located on the corner of Appletree Flat and Jones Reserve Roads, will be handed to the proponents of the Doyles Creek mine later this month.
The company will have the grass rights to the land, roughly about 12 acres, for the next 12 months.
Local farmers Ian Moore and Don Barry, who have properties nearby say the move is a disgrace.
Ian and Robyn Moore, who have been the successful tenders for the reservation for the past 30-years, said the decision had hit them like a ‘tonne of bricks’.
About a month ago they were informed they were unsuccessful and they had accepted the decision until they found out who the tender had been awarded to.
“In my opinion (NuCoal) shouldn’t be allowed to be tendered for,” Mr Moore said.
Mr Moore wanted to stress that he didn’t have sour grapes except for the fact it hadn’t been given to a farmer.
“If it went to Donny that’s life, that’s what it is for (stock),” he said.
His neighbour Don Barry is also outraged.
“All travelling stock reserves are sacred sites,” Mr Barry said.
“If it was someone else in the area (other than a mine) we wouldn’t have a problem with it,” he said.
Both farmers told The Singleton Argus they were told by the Livestock Health and Pest Authority, the governing body responsible for travelling stock reservations, the decision was dollar driven.
“It is outrageous to take something that we (farmers) have subsidised over many years and give it to the mine,” Mr Barry said.
Both said it was ironic the Livestock Health and Pest Authority’s motto was Safe Guarding Agriculture in New South Wales.
“It’s a total disgrace,” Ian said.
Mid Coast Livestock Health and Pest Authority senior ranger Peter Fotheringham said the successful tender (NuCoal) had “outbidded” others.
He added that “everyone” was eligible to apply for tenders of the land, which was for the grass rights only.
NuCoal managing director Glen Lewis told The Argus the company would use the land as grazing land under its tender obligations.
“We have an exploration licence for 28 square kilometres at Doyles Creek,” Mr Lewis said.
“If we choose to drill on the travelling stock route however we will have to get special permission from the Minister,” he said.
Mr Lewis said the company had legal obligations to fulfil as part of their exploration licence which included “gaining access (to coal) wherever we can”.
Travelling stock reserves (TSRs) are parcels of Crown Land reserved under legislation for use by travelling stock.
The Livestock Health and Pest Authority manage over 500,000 hectares of TSRs in NSW with two types of permits, stock permits or other use permits (for recreational use or for the establishment of an apiary site).
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