According to Southern Riverina Irrigators, food producers felt “let down” by Mr Piccoli, who had missed an opportunity to highlight the “obvious social impacts” of basin plan in light of job cuts at SunRice.

However, Mr Piccoli said simply blaming the basin plan missed the bigger picture.

“No-one is saying there’s no impact from the basin plan,” Mr Piccoli said.

“But anyone who says there is no impact on rice from cotton is in denial.”

Southern Riverina Irrigators chairman Graeme Pyle said the major cause of the job cuts was the amount of water taken from productive use under the basin plan.

Mr Pyle acknowledged low inflows and individual crop selection had played a role in reduced rice plantings, but said it was the man-made impacts which were infuriating for irrigators.

“The simple fact is, without water taken from productive use under the basin plan there would not be 50 workers – real people – who are about to lose their jobs, primarily through poor government water policy,” Mr Pyle said.

“Mr Piccoli’s lack of support for these people and the real cause of our heartache simply beggars belief.

“But we are not going to lie down. If Mr Piccoli doesn’t want to fight for our community we’ll go it alone.”

Mr Piccoli pointed to three new cotton gins in the past three years as a clear indication of a shift in crops grown in the area.

“There have been cotton gins built at Hay, Whitton and Carrathool,” Mr Piccoli said.

“It’s about $100 million worth of investment and about 30 full-time jobs at each gin.

“In the past five years we’ve gone from no cotton to 47,000 hectares.”

SunRice would need to deal with the challenge of cotton, Mr Piccoli said.

“Even if there was double the water available, you still might not have had any more rice grown,” he said.

“SunRice will need to compete with cotton, almonds, walnuts, a variety of other crops all vying for the same land and water.”

Mr Pyle said “the gloves are off” with local politicians who were not doing enough to bring about changes to the basin plan.

“They had better start showing more care for the increasing number of genuine, hard-working people in this region who are finding themselves without work because weak-kneed politicians and insensitive bureaucrats refuse to acknowledge the true social and economic impact of the basin plan,” Mr Pyle said.

“Well, we’re in for the fight and if that means actively campaigning so we get people in parliament who will put their constituents first, then that’s what we will do.”

Mr Piccoli said people who wanted to run a “depression agenda” were doing more harm than good for the region.

“People want to focus on losses and ignore the gains, they’re all doom and gloom,” Mr Piccoli said.

“If all anyone hears about our region is negativity no-one will want to come here and we’ll have trouble getting the teachers, police, nurses and engineers.

“I’m not saying the basin plan hasn’t had an impact, it’s had a huge impact, but you’re kidding yourself if you think it’s the only factor.”