The move to amend the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act to stop what the government has called "environmental saboteurs" could have a direct effect on local farmers, they said.

"This is a total over-reaction by the Abbott government and it shows that they will only accept total subservience by the Australian people to big money and big miners,” New England Greens candidate Mercurius Goldstein said.

He said, of the thousands of projects that have been approved under existing laws, only two have ever been stopped.

"We live in a topsy-turvy world where Australians who have followed the law through the courts are now labelled 'vigilantes' by the Abbott government, while it is helping multinational corporations to side-step our Australian laws.

Mr Goldstein said the Greens have a new bill currently in Parliament for landholders to refuse gas and coal mining on their properties.

“Let's see if the Nationals will follow their rhetoric with a vote to support farmers' rights,” he said.

Member for New England Barnaby Joyce said that farmers would still be able to bring challenges if they could prove they have a legitimate interest.

“Farmer fighting funds would still be able to bring challenges because they could represent farmers and would be seen to have a legitimate interest,” he said.

NSW Farmers Environment Committee chair Mitchell Clapham said  they are currently seeking legal advice and consulting with their members on what action we should take in relation to the proposed amendment.

“But if the government feels there is a problem with the legislation they should fix the aspect of the legislation that is not working and that means going back to first principles and not using a reduction in appeal rights as a way to fix what is flawed,” he said.

“Obviously the association is keen to ensure that our members’ rights are not affected by any proposed changes to the Bill.”