Greg Hunt has just approved a 268 million tonne coal mine owned by the Chinese government - and farmers say it will be devastating.

Federal environment minister Greg Hunt has approved a $1.2 billion coal mine on the Liverpool Plains, a fertile farming region in northwest New South Wales.

Kate Ausburn / Flickr: treslola

The proposed mine will be a hole in the ground two thirds the size of Sydney Harbour.

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Farmers say the mine will destroy some of the most fertile agricultural land in Australia.

With rich black soil, the Liverpool Plains produce crops all year round, and produce about 40% above the national average of food per hectare, which contributes $332 million to the GDP each year.

Some say it's ironic for the government to give the green light to the mine at the same time as having aspirations for Australia to become the ‘Food Bowl of Asia’.

NSW Farming Association president Fiona Simson says it is outrageous that the mine was signed off on the same day as the launch of the Agricultural White Paper.

"On the same day the government... talked up the importance of the industry to the national economy, the environment minister was approving a mine that will disturb an area of over 4000 football fields in size, in the middle of some of Australia's best farming country," she said.

Kate Ausburn / Flickr: treslola

The decision has young farmers worried about their future on the land.

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Spring Ridge farmer Sarah Hubbard is part of a group of young residents opposed to the Shenhua Watermark project. She told BuzzFeed News that she feels let down by the government, and the mine has made it impossible to plan for her future.

"How am I supposed to plan the next 30 years of my life with a mega coal mine who cannot guarantee that they will not destroy our water or farming land? How am I supposed to look my children or grandchildren in the eyes and explain to them that the people we trust and put in power failed to support us?" she said.

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