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The Australian government has sided with farmers who say official data vastly underestimates foreign ownership of the nation's farmland, as it moves to clamp down on overseas purchases of agricultural land. Foreign ownership is a key concern for many farmers, a crucial part of the conservative government's support base, who worry that anecdotal reports of Chinese investors buying large amounts of prime agricultural land will strip the country of its food security. A 2014 survey of agricultural businesses by the Australian Bureau of Statistics put the figure at around 12 percent, but Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce told a conference this week the figures did not reflect the real picture. http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/Reuters/worldNews/~3/NOLOK8JUba4/story01.htm http://www.wochit.com