Farmers protesting the Donald Rare Earth & Mineral Sands Mine project. Photo: VFF

VICTORIAN grain growers have urged caution and called for greater consultation as a wave of rare earth and mineral sands developments advances across broadacre farmland.

The latest to reach a key milestone is Astron Corporation’s Donald Rare Earth and Mineral Sands project near Minyip in the Wimmera region, which last Tuesday was granted major project status by the Federal Government, fast-tracking its approval process.

Production could begin as early as 2027, with the mine’s first stage expected to produce about 7200 tonnes of rare-earth concentrate destined for processing in the United States.

The project is one of at least four similar developments now moving through Vic’s approvals process, with dozens more exploration licences granted across the state.

Last Tuesday marked another milestone in Australia’s bid to become a global rare-earth producer, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump signing a framework to fast-track priority projects and strengthen critical minerals supply chains.

The agreement includes financial commitments of at least US$1 billion each from Australia and the US to support a pipeline of priority critical minerals projects over the next six months.

While the first two projects named under the deal are located in Wagerup, Western Australia, and north of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Vic developments could still benefit through faster approvals or potential financial support.

Donald mine protests

Earlier this month, farmers protested the start of works at the Donald project, using tractors and other machinery to block a trenching machine.

Farmers protesting the Donald mine project. Photo: VFF

Farmers say they were not adequately consulted about the project, while others have raised concerns over rehabilitation plans and potential impacts on water and soil contamination.

Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking said landholder concerns were growing about the the real impacts on their farms, communities and the natural environment from these projects.

“This can’t be all one-way traffic where farmers and local communities are pushed aside, water is diverted, and irreplaceable farmland is damaged forever,” Mr Hosking said.

“The community feels they don’t have a voice in the process, which is to the detriment of the projects and good planning.

“Some of the land earmarked for these mines is prime, irreplaceable farmland.

“Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever and we must protect it before it’s too late.”

“The government and these companies must listen to the community and genuinely consult with those set to be impacted, otherwise we’ll continue to see massive community opposition right across regional Victoria.”

Resources Victoria approved the Donald project in June, with Energy and Resources Minister Lily D’Ambrosio defending the process as thorough and well-consulted.

“We’re kick-starting Victoria’s critical minerals boom with the approval of the first works plan for one of the state’s most significant mine sites in decades, providing the essential minerals we need for our renewable energy transition,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.

“All mining processes in Victoria are heavily regulated and the safety of the community, environment and infrastructure is built into key approvals such as the work plan for the Donald Mineral Sands Project.”

Astron Limited managing director Tiger Brown said the Donald project was one of national significance and would contribute to the economic growth of regional Australia.

“The Donald Project will create significant employment opportunities and deliver long-term economic benefits to the Wimmera region of Victoria as well as strengthen Australia’s sovereign capability in critical minerals and advanced technology supply chains,” Mr Brown said.

If you watch anything today, make it this.

Here’s the view from farmers on the ground in the path of the rare earth mineral sand mines at the centre of #Australia and the #UnitedState‘s $8b deal @ryan_milgate #vicfarmers pic.twitter.com/nq7QvnNroN

— Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) (@VicFarmers) October 21, 2025

Farmers push for greater oversight

VFF grains group president Ryan Milgate runs a mixed farm near the proposed Donald mining project.

He said Astron has been slowly buying up farming land in the vicinity of the mine site for several years, with farmers given no real “choice but to sell up and move”.

Mr Milgate said the remaining landholders had not been properly consulted about the potential risks the mine could pose to their properties and crops.

“The consultation is just a box-ticking exercise; they don’t give you straight answers,” Mr Milgate said.

“We run a huge amount of risk here with contamination and the like, but there’s absolutely no financial or any compensation for that at all.”

He said farmers recognised their limited power to halt the projects, given the national and global importance of the minerals involved, but wanted to ensure proponents treated farming communities and the environment with respect and met their legal obligations.

“The reality is the [Donald] mine will go ahead, so what we’re really focusing on as a community now is… to ‘keep the bastards honest’,” Mr Milgate said.

“We’re not going to stop them mining, unfortunately, which would be awesome, but we’re certainly making sure that they do it right.

“We are going to watch them like a hawk – everything they do – and leverage relationships with the regulator and the government to make sure they do everything they are meant to do.”

Projects pipeline

Outside the Donald project, there are three other rare earth and mineral sands projects being developed in Vic.

They include VHM Limited’s Goschen Rare Earths and Mineral Sands Project, 35 km south of Swan Hill; WIM Resources’ Avonbank Mineral Sands Project, 15 km north-east of Horsham, and the Fingerboards Mineral Sands Project, led by Gippsland Critical Minerals, 20km north-west of Bairnsdale.

The next most advanced project is VHM’s Goschen development, which was granted a mining licence by Resources Victoria in April and received federal approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) in September.

The company still needs secondary approvals, licences and permits before it can proceed and is continuing final design, construction planning and operational readiness work.

The Avonbank project received EPBC Act approvals in April but is yet to be granted a mining licence from Resources Victoria.

Yet to commence state or federal mining approvals, the Fingerboards project is still negotiating the retention and exploration-licences stage.

Retention licences enable the company to carry out scoping works to inform future planning applications.

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