The farming lobby has reacted angrily to a court decision reinforcing local councils' powers over land clearing in Queensland, calling it a "power play" and claiming it has nothing to do with environmental protection.

It came as the state government stood by the judgment, adding to growing tensions over environmental protection in the state.

Landholders have been warned they face fines of almost $600,000 if they have cleared without seeking a council permit. Credit:Wilderness Society

The Queensland Court of Appeal ruled this month that so-called "Category X" land, which covers 20 per cent of Queensland - an area the size of Malaysia - and is exempt from requirements under the state's vegetation management laws, is also subject to local councils' planning schemes, where the two types of area overlap.

Many councils have designated land as having high environmental significance where state maps show it as being Category X, but some landholders and developers have gone ahead and cleared the land anyway on the basis the state rules allowed it.