An Australian farmer has dramatically pitched a tent in front of a coal train to protest against the expansion of the mining industry . Annette Schneider lay on a mattress over the tracks near Mangrove Road in Sandgate , north of Sydney , near Newcastle . The 54-year-old farmer , from Monaro in southern New South Wales , started her protest at 7am on Monday , but was taken into police custody about 10.30am . Scroll down for video . Annette Schneider , 45 , spent three hours of Monday morning locked to a railway track near Newcastle . She had cut holes in the mattress to slot her arms through and locked them into a pipe running along the railway line . A group of 20 to 30 people were also on-site to support Ms Schneider . A spokeswoman for environmental group Front Line Action on Coal told Daily Mail Australia Ms Schneider wanted to make a statement about the expansion of the coal mining industry and the effects of climate change . In particular , the 54-year-old is worried about their impacts on farm land . Ms Schneider was trying to block the path of a coal train to protest against the expansion of the mining industry . The 54-year-old is part of the Front Line Action on Coal group who are an environmental group . Ms Schneider was trying to make ' a statement ' to the government to ask them to consider issues surrounding the expansion of coal mines and climate change . 'She wanted to do this because she was frustrated with the government , ' Front Line Action on Coal 's Alex Walker said . 'The government is not listening to scientists . We ’ re not following the world and not listening to the world . We 're kind of behind the times in Australia . ' [ Ms Schneider 's ] passionate about climate change and she wanted to make a statement . ' A new report done by the Climate and Health Alliance ( CAHA ) estimates the annual costs of health-related issues caused by the five coal fired power station in the Hunter Valley costs $ 600 million . 'The coal industry is continuously dragging us down ... and there are consequences and we need to do something about it before it 's too late , ' Ms Walker told Daily Mail Australia . Police came to arrest Ms Schneider three hours after she started her protest on Monday morning . The group claims surrounding mines are causing severe health problems in the areas as well as impacting on farming lands . 'In local communities , there has been an increase in severe health risks from breathing in coal dust . 'There 's been a rise in asthma-related instances in children . People are n't sleeping as well as shortness of breath . 'Just the general implications you would get from breathing in dirty air , especially if it leeches into the water too . ' A New South Wales Health Report from 2010 reported the Hunter regions most affected by open-cut coal mining and coal-fired power generation have higher rates of asthma and respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease compared with the rest of the state , according to the CAHA report .
Farmer Ms Schneider lay down in front of a coal train . She was protesting against the expansion of coal mining near Newcastle . The 54-year-old spent three hours with her arms locked around train track . In particular , she is worried about the mining industry 's impact on farms . Police then took Annette Schneider , who protested on Monday , into custody .