A green group has called for the Scottish Government to follow an Australian state’s lead and ban fracking.
Authorities in Victoria announced the ban today following widespread opposition during consultation.
A moratorium in Victoria had been in place since August 2012.
The Scottish Government placed a moratorium on fracking in January 2015 to allow an environmental assessment and a public consultation to be carried out.
The report is expected to be submitted to ministers in autumn.
Friends of the Earth Scotland director Richard Dixon said Victoria’s move supported the case against fracking in Scotland.
Mr Dixon said: “The fracking industry continues to lose friends all over the world. Community opposition to the fracking and unconventional gas industry has been fierce right across Australia and thankfully the Victorian Government has listened to these concerns.
“This ban will undoubtedly increase the pressure on Scottish Government who will be looking at similar evidence to their Victorian counterparts. We hope Scotland will soon join the growing list of places which have rejected this industry entirely.
“The Victorian government stated that the legislation to be introduced to Parliament later this year will “protect the clean, green reputation of Victoria’s agriculture sector, which employs more than 190,000 people.”
Research into the industry in Queensland has shown that 18 jobs are lost in farming for every 10 created in unconventional gas.
Mr Dixon added: “Farmers in Scotland should be worried about the impact of fracking where it ever to get the go ahead. We cannot risk our land and water to this dangerous and polluting industry. The reputational damage to our food and whisky producers would be enormous.
“From a global climate change perspective, it is encouraging to see fossil fuels being kept in the ground. Developed nations need to rapidly move away our reliance on these dirty, destructive energy sources and embrace clean, safe renewables. Fracking should have no place in our energy mix, not in Scotland or anywhere else.”
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