Coal seam gas (CSG) mining in the Sydney basin raises serious questions as to how the agriculture industry will meet the region's growing food needs, the president of NSW Farmers says.
Speaking at a forum in Penrith on Wednesday night, Fiona Simson said the agricultural industry in the Sydney Basin is the "front line" of the conflict surrounding food.
The region, on the central east coast of NSW, produces 90 per cent of Sydney's fresh vegetables, Ms Simson said.
But at the same time every fruit and vegetable grower currently falls under a exploration licence for CSG, she said.
"What does this mean for food production?" Ms Simson asked.
"That's a question that is yet to be answered in any details by these companies."
Ms Simson said the chemical process which sometimes accompanies the mining of gas, known as hydraulic fracturing or `fracking', has raised concerns on the effect it will have on aquifers in the region.
The process sees a mixture of chemicals, water and sand pumped into the coal seam at high pressure to fracture the rock.
Water is then drained from the seam to release the gas.
"Most companies acknowledge there will be some effect but they vary on the specifics of what that will be," she told the forum, organised by the Sydney Food Fairness Alliance.
"Under the current regulatory system, I have no right to know exactly what the outcome will be."
"Thousands of tonnes of salt are produced and must be disposed of, and issues about biosecurity arise with increased traffic moving from farm to farm."
Ms Simson proposed that the simplest solution is to give landholders the right to refuse access to companies wanting access to their land.
"This is not about denying access to publicly owned resources, it is simply about levelling the playing field," she said.
"What is needed is strong government policy which recognises that for urban development to increase, so must food production."
But NSW Resources Minister Chris Hartcher says there is no reason why CSG mining and agriculture can't operate side by side.
"In Australia, there is the potential for the coexistence between gas production and agriculture, properly planned, properly resourced and properly regulated," Mr Hartcher told an industry meeting in Sydney on Wednesday.
"The government is determined that it will take all reasonable and necessary measures to protect our water, our agriculture and environment," he said.
Mr Hartcher said rising electricity costs and the demand for clean energy alternatives meant NSW needed to tap its substantial underground gas resources.
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