However, in the plan modelled by the Treasury, agriculture emissions were projected to fall by 28 per cent by 2050.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Experts say it is “ambitious” but “achievable,” despite one of the sector’s biggest emitters ditching its own carbon-neutral targets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Diverse solutions<\/p>\n
The federal government’s Agriculture and Land Sector Plan estimates farming contributes 19.6 per cent to Australia’s net emissions, while land is a net sink equivalent to -16.5 per cent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Professor of Carbon Farming at the University of Melbourne, Richard Eckard, said the plan recognised what was already happening in farming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Richard Eckard says the industry is unlikely to hit its own targets. (ABC News: Sean Warren)<\/p>\n
He said the industry would “naturally” contribute the 28 per cent reduction projected by 2050, but was unlikely to hit its own net-zero targets.<\/p>\n
“Agriculture is not homogeneous \u2014 there’s some sectors in agriculture that don’t have a very large emissions footprint,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It’s not one size fits all in agriculture, that’s the problem.”<\/p>\n
He said opportunities to reduce emissions were dependent on individual industries and their footprints.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Viticulture is really about energy use, not really about in-field emissions, so their options are mainly energy-focused,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Pigs and poultry, it’s all about manure management \u2014 that’s well-developed technology, it’s not a lot about the animals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“If you go to cropping it’s a very extensive dilemma … it’s all about fertilisers.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mr Eckard says some sectors in agriculture do not have a large emissions footprint. (ABC Mid West Wheatbelt: Jo Prendergast)<\/p>\n
But he said farmers could have increased competition for access to abatement measures as the government explored tightening its Safeguard Mechanism<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Everybody’s looking at trees in the landscape as their solution under the safeguard mechanism,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n “If you look at the report carefully, it says that those trees in the landscape are essential for agriculture to make its contribution.<\/p>\n “But now you’ve got the safeguard mechanism making the fossil fuel industry and the mining industry dependent on the same trees on the same landscape.<\/p>\n “There’s not enough to go around.”<\/p>\n Growing opportunity Shona Gawel says farmers are concerned about the burden of emission reduction.\u00a0 (ABC Rural: Jo Prendergast)<\/p>\n GrainGrowers chief executive Shona Gawel said her organisation’s members saw a “once in a generation opportunity”, especially when it came to low-carbon fuel.\u00a0<\/p>\n “This is a space that will bring benefit to farmers across the country,” Ms Gawel said.<\/p>\n “It will have a positive impact on our emission reduction targets.”\u00a0<\/p>\n She said the industry was well placed to facilitate the development of clean diesel and aviation fuel, but cautioned against setting targets.\u00a0<\/p>\n “We have to be really careful \u2026 that we are not putting undue burden on farmers who are already super busy getting our food and fibre produced,” she said.<\/p>\n Richard Heath, the chief executive of Zero Net Emissions from Agriculture, a research cooperative funded by government and universities, said the government’s expectation was ambitious but achievable.<\/p>\n “With the sorts of technologies available and that will be available … we think that projection is achievable,” Mr Heath said.<\/p>\n His organisation partners with several industry bodies, including members of the Red Meat Advisory Council (RMAC), which advises the federal government on behalf of producers, processors and exporters.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n