As Australia moves towards its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, new budget funding targeted at the agricultural sector hopes to improve the accounting of greenhouse gases and upskill farmers in the transition to sustainable practices.
The government earmarked $63.8 million to lower emissions from the farming and agriculture industries under the Agriculture and Land Sector plan, and comes on the back of a half-billion dollar investment in the Future Drought Fund.
The money will also be used to educate farmers on emissions accounting, a framework that allows them to measure, manage, and report their greenhouse gas emissions.
The process involves using standardised methods to quantify emissions, which can help identify areas for reduction and ensure transparency in sustainability efforts.
The announcement was made on May 23 by Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen at the Sustainable Agriculture Summit held in Toowoomba.
Mr. Bowen said accurate standardised emissions reporting was essential if Australia was to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement.
“Our government will work in close collaboration with the agriculture industry to guide us towards a net-zero future,” he said.
“Decarbonisation in the agriculture sector will unlock new opportunities for Australian farmers and landowners.”
He added that the Agriculture and Land plan “presents an opportunity to chart a way forward and will play an important role in achieving our whole-of-economy emissions reduction targets.”
Minister for Agriculture Murray Watt said the agricultural sector would benefit greatly by reducing their emissions.
“Australian farmers are on the frontline of climate change and it is costing them every single day,” he said.
“We want producers to access the benefits of becoming more sustainable while remaining productive and profitable. A lot of this work has already begun with many farm businesses adapting their business models to reduce their emissions.
“This funding will go towards the continuation of innovative practices, enhanced training, long-term research and on-ground action.
“While we aren’t setting an emissions reduction target for the agriculture industry, it is our responsibility as the government to help the industry contribute to our economy-wide net zero target. This funding will do just that,” Mr. Watt said.
How the Funding is Broken Down
According to a joint ministerial release, $28.7 million over 10 years (inclusive of $900,000 ongoing from 2028-29) will be used to improve greenhouse gas accounting in the agriculture and land sector at the national through to farm level.Reinforcing the existing Carbon Farming Outreach Program, $30.8 million over four years from 2024-25 to 2027-28 will accelerate on-ground action to reduce agriculture and land emissions.
Why Is Agriculture Being Targeted?
The agricultural sector produced 16.8 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in 2020-21 primarily due to methane emitted by cattle and sheep.The latest investment was galvanised by industry feedback which looked for solutions to reducing greenhouse gases across the sector, without blaming or agitating those tasked with producing the nation’s food.
The Agriculture and Land Sector plans’ first incarnation as a discussion paper was issued in 2023 and received feedback from stakeholders including farmers and producers and industry organisations.
The consensus was that a large-scale coordinated investment should include money to improve industry processes and resources relating to emissions mitigation.
The Nationals Leader David Littleproud was contacted for comment.
