Boswell fears Traveston timber plan to boost food price
Posted
The Federal Opposition says the Queensland Government's plans to put a forestry plantation near the Traveston Crossing dam, in the south-east, will lead to higher food prices.
The Government is currently seeking expressions of interest from the forestry industry to establish a 2,000 hectare timber plantation, to offset the carbon emissions released during the dam's construction.
Queensland Nationals' Senator Ron Boswell says subsidising the plantation of trees on prime agricultural land forces out farmers, which will push up food prices.
"Inch by inch, prime agricultural gets eaten away and people go out of business, so there's less food, less primary products go on the market and the prices go up," he said.
"I assume that what will happen here, this 2,000 hectares of timber, the people that apply to grow the timber will be involved in some scheme that will have a tax break involved in it, so farmers can't buy the land."
