Greenies say Qld's new food bowl will fail A QUEENSLAND government plan for large-scale farming on Cape York will fail and could threaten a World Heritage push, green groups say. The Newman government will relax land clearing laws to support the development of high-value agricultural areas across the state, including in the gulf country. The changes come as the federal government considers whether to nominate Cape York for a World Heritage listing. Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney says amendments to Labor's clearing laws will support his government's pledge to double Queensland's food production by 2040. He says it will mean new jobs for the state, including on the cape where agricultural activities are essentially confined to cattle grazing. Mango orchards, grain growing and other "high value agricultural" operations have been earmarked, but it won't be open slather, Mr Seeney said. The government said Labor's land clearing laws had frustrated the activities of landholders, and threatened productivity. The changes will include a move to new self-assessment codes, to free landholders from red tape around routine activities such as weed and pest management, fodder harvesting and thinning. Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps said it wasn't a green light for indiscriminate land clearing. "Inappropriate vegetation management practices that show no regard for the environment can still be readily detected through satellite monitoring," he said. Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke has said traditional owners will have the final say on which, if any, parts of the cape should be nominated for World Heritage status. Wilderness Society campaigner Gavan McFadzean said the Newman government's plans could threaten the integrity of any nomination. "The government is earmarking plans to the destroy the very values that are being assessed for World Heritage," he told AAP. He said there was a good reason the cape had not been extensively farmed before. The climate is extreme, the soils are impoverished and there is nowhere to build a viable dam. It will require huge public investment to get any agriculture production of any significant level up in Cape York. Andrew Picone, from the Australian Conservation Foundation, agreed. "The reasons the cape hasn't been an economic hub in the past includes poor soil quality, distance to markets and demand being met from other regions," he told AAP. We are concerned that the real agenda for Cape York seems to be more about mining than any form of sustainable agriculture. The cape farming push is among a raft of changes that will affect Cape York. The government is also moving to scrap the controversial Wild Rivers laws and lift mining exploration restrictions on the cape.