“It’s right next door and as soon as they are given the green light I will have to call it quits – the water contamination would kill all my fish,” he says.

His fish farm, in Upper Hebden, has a licence for silver perch, yabbies and mussels and Mr Spiteri was looking forward to selling his first batch this Christmas.

“I’ve only been in the business a few years and I have been working flat out, seven days a week, to get the place established; I will stay here but my fish farm will have to cease,” he said.

Mr Spiteri even offered accessible land to the quarry company from his 486-hectare property which would not contaminate his aquaculture enterprise, but the offer was declined.

Residents will have 40 days for objections when the environmental impact statement for the quarry proposal is submitted to Muswellbrook Council.

Mr Spiteri is pictured (third from left) with fellow concerned residents, grazier, Richard Clydsdale, “Nirvalcann”, lucerne and beef farmer, Nick Smith, and his five-year-old daughter, Casey, and Julie Clydsdale.