Exclusive: Farmers United says ‘we know in our hearts and minds’ experts are wrong about run-off damaging the reef

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Queensland cane growers’ groups are backing an opaque front organisation working to undermine Great Barrier Reef consensus science, including publishing claims that “we know in our hearts and minds” that the experts are wrong.

The group, Farmers United, published full-page advertisements in News Corp Queensland newspapers this week.

Its website describes Farmers United as “a group of individuals drawn from various primary production and horticulture sectors, industries and representative organisations” but lists no contact details, organisational structure, financial backers or supporters.

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A fundraising page for the group was set up by the Invicta Cane Growers Organisation, a farmers’ group based at Ayr. The manager of Invicta, Michael Kern, did not return calls.

Another group based in the Burdekin region, the Kalamia Cane Growers Organisation, has actively encouraged members and others to support Farmers United.

The emergence of Farmers United comes as the agricultural sector ramps up a broad-ranging campaign to pressure the Queensland government in relation to proposed new reef regulations, which would set sediment and chemical run-off load limits in reef catchments.

The sector is broadly split between organisations which have concerns about the regulations but believe that questioning the consensus science would undermine their ability to have those concerns taken seriously, and those which have sought to promote minority conspiracy views.

The Queensland Liberal National party opposition made clear to Guardian Australia its position: “We aren’t questioning the science, we are questioning these deeply flawed laws.”

However, an increasing number of state LNP MPs and party members are among those demanding that the science be questioned and checked. At its state conference, the LNP agreed to investigate establishing an office of scientific quality assurance, a proposal backed by controversial academic Peter Ridd, who argues farm run-off is not damaging the reef.

The Callide MP, Colin Boyce, whose Facebook page includes hundreds of posts doubting climate change, posted that he was joined by several LNP colleagues at one of Ridd’s lectures last week.

“THE GBR IS NOT DEAD,” Boyce said on Facebook. “The science being spread by the FAKE GREENS is flawed and is manipulated for the lefts political ideology. 97% of the reef is unaffected by sediment from the river systems.”

Farmers United is one of several new campaigning vehicles that has emerged in recent weeks, as the government prepares to bring its proposed reef regulations back before the parliament.

They include a campaign, organised by AgForce, to “stand up for regional Queensland” that raises issues like electricity prices, community services and digital access.

Farmers United’s website links to “news” from a climate science denial blog. Its advertisements say the reef regulations are “a man made disaster”.

The group appears to be a tool to undermine the science while shielding agricultural groups – many of which receive state and federal grants for reef water quality measures – from suggestions they have walked away from a commitment to the reef.

“The science keeps claiming, to the detriment of tourism and jobs, that the reef is dying, coral cover is reducing and that farmers are killing the reef with fertiliser, pesticide and sediment that runs off during natural flooding events.

“In our hearts and minds we know this not to be true, as does Dr Peter Ridd.”