CANE farmers have taken to television telling the Palaszczuk government its plan to ramp up regulation on their farms is unnecessary, dangerous and not going to guarantee any benefit to the Great Barrier Reef.
CANEGROWERS chairman Paul Schembri said the so-called Reef Bill currently before the Queensland Parliament proposed an escalation of bureaucratic interference in the sugarcane industry.
"It is an affront to growers," Mr Schembri said.
"We have been working under regulations designed to improve water quality for the Great Barrier Reef for a decade and the huge investment by growers in changing farm practices has been acknowledged in government reports as having an impact.
"The industry has been innovative and cooperative and growers are taking responsibility for their impact on the environment."
The television commercial is being aired by CANEGROWERS across Queensland's coastal regions accompanied by a longer online video.
The video outlines some of the most disturbing aspects of the Bill for the sugarcane industry:
Farmers say the government is seeking the power to demand business information from any adviser or company working with cane growers.
In addition, they say the government is seeking the power to change the regulations applying to cane farms in the future without sufficient consultation or accountability.
"This Bill will stifle expansion and innovation in our industry," Mr Schembri said. "It will act as a disincentive to further investment because it will leave us in a situation of uncertainty.
"The way forward is in continuing collaboration for the benefit of the environment, the economy and our communities.
"We need the government to allow us to forge ahead with the programs and projects already underway which are recognising and valuing growers for what they have done and are continuing to do for improved water quality for the Reef."
