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Future of family farm at stake as young farmer opposes quarry
🇨🇷 Costa Rica /Environment & Climate

Future of family farm at stake as young farmer opposes quarry

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A young fourth-generation farmer in Queensland's Lockyer Valley is opposing a proposed quarry on his family's land, fearing it will disrupt his cattle operation.
  • The company behind the proposal estimates the site has enough sandstone for 15 to 50 years of mining, with minimal disturbance at any given time.
  • While the quarry could create jobs and boost the local economy, the farmer is concerned about the impact on his property's carrying capacity and the potential for groundwater and environmental disruption.

The future of a family farm in Queensland's Lockyer Valley hangs in the balance as a young farmer fights a proposal to establish a quarry on his property. Daniel Storey, a 29-year-old fourth-generation farmer, faces the prospect of a mining lease over 62.2 hectares of land, including a significant portion of his family's 100-hectare property, which has been farmed since the 1920s.

You often find yourself just pulling up and looking at the lovely sandstone cliffs.

— Daniel StoreyStorey describes his connection to the landscape where the proposed quarry would be located.

Rosehill Sandstone has applied for the lease to extract building-grade sandstone, estimating the deposit holds about 1 million cubic meters. The company claims the operation would involve disturbing only one to five hectares at a time, with progressive rehabilitation. However, Storey, who runs about 50 cattle across the mixed terrain of his farm, fears the quarry's impact will be far more substantial. He argues that the proposed site, located on the "back block," would effectively separate him from a crucial part of his land, potentially lowering its carrying capacity.

They're going to be using the back block and separating us from the back end of it [the farm].

— Daniel StoreyStorey expresses his concern about the physical division of his property by the proposed quarry.

Under Queensland law, landowners cannot outright refuse mining companies access to minerals beneath their land. Affected parties must negotiate compensation or challenge the lease in the Land Court. Storey is concerned that the quarry's operations, even if limited in scope at any given time, will disrupt his integrated farming system, which relies on using the entire farm for grazing and growing feed.

It would probably lower the carrying capacity of the country because we basically are using all the farm at any given time, whether it's grazing or growing feed.

— Daniel StoreyStorey explains the potential negative impact of the quarry on his cattle farming operation.

The company, represented by manager John Doherty, stated the quarry would create 12 to 15 jobs and inject approximately $3 million into the local economy. They also assert that environmental impacts on groundwater and air quality would be negligible or minor, with no chemicals, blasting, or drilling involved. Water would be sourced from on-site dams or purchased externally. Despite these assurances, Storey remains apprehensive about the long-term consequences for his farm and the unique sandstone landscape he cherishes.

You can't just go open slather and clear the whole site and hoe into it.

— John DohertyRosehill manager John Doherty addresses concerns about the scale and impact of the quarry operations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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