Winemakers and horse breeders in the NSW Hunter Valley have demanded both the coalition government and Labor opposition commit to new measures to protect their industries from coal mining.
Just days out from Saturday's state election, the Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders Association and the Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association have joined forces to call for a ban on all coal and coal seam gas mining within 10km of critical industry areas.
"Together our two industries inject more than $4.5 billion to the NSW economy, support nearly 100,000 jobs and attract over three million visitors every year to the Hunter region," HTBA president Cameron Collins said.
"These are internationally and nationally recognised industries of state significance and should be protected".
Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association spokesman Stewart Ewen called on the government and the opposition to deliver on promises to protect critical wine and thoroughbred industries.
The two industries say the NSW coalition government has introduced controls on coal seam gas mining, such as buffer zones around suburbs and "no go zones" around critical industry clusters but no steps have been taken to address the impact of coal mining proposals.
In a 30-page briefing document released on Tuesday, the groups have called on whichever party is elected to power on March 28 to immediately introduce 10km buffer zones around Critical Industry Clusters and pass legislation to permanently protect them from new mining developments within 100 days.
The Hunter Valley is one of three International Centres of Thoroughbred Breeding Excellence, along with Kentucky in the USA and Newmarket in the UK.
However the HTBA warns the Hunter is the only centre not protected from incompatible land use developments.
Winemakers warn that the Hunter region does not have the same protections as South Australia's famous Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale or Western Australia's Margaret River.
The battle between mining on one side and wine, tourism and horse studs on the other has been intensifying in the Hunter region in recent years.
Coal giant Anglo American lost its bid to expand its Drayton South mine last October, with the NSW Planning Assessment Commission ruling the mine was too close to the major Coolmore and Darley international horse studs.
"The economic benefits of the project do not outweigh the risk of losing Coolmore and Darley and the potential demise of the equine industry in the area, with flow-on impacts on the viticultural tourism industries," the PAC said.
Anglo American is now pursuing a smaller version of its mine proposal.
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