Carbon credit worries

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THE food producers of Australia will be working with the Federal Government in the New Year to find out exactly where they stand in the nation’s emerging carbon economy.

Goomeri grazier and prominent Queensland farm lobbyist, John Cotter, says comprehensive work will begin in 2009 to analyse the net carbon position of Australia’s agricultural industries.

Mr Cotter, who is president of the leading farming group AgForce, said a carbon trading scheme would need to include a serious analysis of the net effect of agriculture on carbon emissions.

“Yes, agriculture has emissions but it also sequesters carbon in trees, crops, pastures and soils.

“Therefore, the urgent research requirement is for a system of carbon accounting that accurately incorporates both sides of this equation.

“Plenty of people will tell us where we are wrong but there is very little funding for research to see what we’re doing right.”

Mr Cotter said the recent announcement by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of his government’s carbon pollution reduction scheme recognised the need for a comprehensive program to provide clarity about agriculture’s net position and reporting capabilities.

He welcomed ongoing consultations with industry on farm carbon accounting and a commitment to further research through the Farming Future program.

“Agriculture Minister Tony Burke has recognised the implications of emissions schemes and carbon trading on future food security, so we appreciate that the Federal Government understands the potential role agriculture has in providing climate change solutions.

“The world is facing a global food crisis but it is important for policy makers to recognise that agriculture can provide both food and bio-sequestration opportunities - we don’t have to convert farmland to forests to store carbon,” Mr Cotter said.