Farmers in South-East Queensland's salad bowl in the Lockyer Valley say they have no qualms over using treated sewage on their crops but the likely cost may be too high.
The State Government wants farmers in the district, near Gatton, to pay more than $400 a megalitre to use water from the western corridor recycled water project.
Queensland's $9 billion water grid is set to recycle treated effluent for homes early next year, despite speculation that rising dam levels could delay its introduction.
Growcom, the main lobby group for Queensland's $5.6 billion horticulture industry, said growers believed recycled water was an important part of future water supplies for South-East Queensland.
However, the price to farmers was set to become a major sticking point.
The South-East Queensland Water Strategy shows up to 25,000 megalitres a year will eventually go to Lockyer farmers.
"We have an agreement with the Queensland Government to take an amount of [recycled] water and the calculation for the price has been agreed upon, but the price hasn't been agreed upon," Lockyer Water Users Forum chairman Linton Brimblecombe said.
"Essentially that means treatment costs, but no capital costs.
"The Government is suggesting a certain price and we are suggesting they are extremely high compared to similar schemes in the country."
Lockyer growers produce more than $140 million worth of vegetables a year - mainly beetroot, lettuce, corn, peas, beans and carrots - about a third of Queensland's vegetable crop.
Growcom chief advocate Mark Panitz said growers should not have to pay for treating recycled water to drinkable standard.
"Once the Government decided they would forge ahead with recycled water of drinkable quality, number one in the priority list was consumers in Brisbane rather than agriculture," Mr Panitz said.
"So firstly, that put the use of the water for agriculture down the pecking order and secondly the requirement to purify the water to potable level is a much higher requirement for agricultural use level.
"This where the negotiations are, whether growers can access to it at agricultural standards, not potable [drinking] standard."
"If you have to get it at potable standard you are buying a Rolls Royce when all you need a Kingswood."
Mr Panitz said Growcom was satisfied with the health of the recycled water from the South East Water Grid.
"There are underlying ones for people drinking it, but from a use in the farming sector, there isn't any real concerns, because it goes through a purification process," he said.
"Farmers are in business. They have to make sure and be confident about their water use and their business," he said.
"And most - if not all - have food safety programs in place."
But Australia's organic farmers are more cautious.
Biological Farmers Association of Australia director Andrew Monk said the association remained "wary and cautious" about recycled water.
"We certainly aren't welcoming it with open arms, for open-slather use, full stop," he said.
Email a friend