Farmers hit to "save" the reef -- and Anna

Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, has indicated that she will run a campaign against farmers in coastal catchments adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef as part of her re-election strategy.

Or, as she puts it, she is going to "Save the Great Barrier Reef" by introducing tough new regulations on farming.

It will be difficult for the new Liberal National Party to support more regulation of a key section of its constituency, so it seems the Premier has a wedge issue likely to play to her favour in places like Brisbane.

There is no evidence of a big impact from farming on the reef.  There is a lot of evidence that farming practices have improved dramatically in the past century and this has been good for rivers and streams.

Historically sediment runoff was a problem, particularly before the advent of mechanical harvesting when sugarcane was grown on steep slopes.  Now the crop is only cultivated on flat land and with the adoption of green cane harvesting, including minimum tillage and mulching, levels of nutrient and sediment run-off are often equivalent to that from undisturbed rainforest.

But when it comes to farming and politics it can be difficult to distinguish reality from fantasy, truth from propaganda.

Readers of The Land may be surprised to learn that there was actually an increase in coral growth rates measured at the Great Barrier Reef during the 20th Century.

This was associated with warming sea temperatures, according to Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) researchers Janice Lough and Dave Barnes who have published detailed studies concluding that coral growth rates.

As well, growth rates actually decrease from north to south along the reef as temperatures cool markedly.

Two weeks ago a paper was published in the prestigious journal Science, also by AIMS researchers, but now suggesting that global warming is slowing coral growth.

The new findings make no mention of farming, but Premier Bligh was quick to comment that this was more reason for "new laws" against farming.

So all the good work done by farmers to reduce their impact on coastal ecosystems will be ignored in the race to secure green votes in urban electorates in Queensland this year.

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