Peak horticulture organisation Growcom has welcomed the federal government’s decision to exclude agriculture from the carbon pollution reduction scheme.  Chief advocate Rachel Mackenzie said the decision was a significant concession and a win for the agricultural sector.

Growcom has lobbied both sides of politics advocating the exclusion of horticulture and has participated in discussions relating to alternative options for agriculture.

“This is a real win for the horticulture sector as we really didn’t need an extra cost imposition that would have very little benefit in terms of emissions and would be hugely costly to administer,” said Mackenzie.

However, she said the exact details of the agreement remained vague.  “There are still some issues that need to be investigated in the days ahead before we can work out the implications for horticulture.”

Mackenzie said that agriculture’s exclusion from the CPRS did not mean that the sector would not be affected by the scheme and growers would see an increased input cost of electricity, fuel and fertiliser which they would find difficult to pass on down the supply chain.

“To compensate food producers, an agricultural offset scheme should be introduced as has been the case in countries overseas. The government has indicated that it will examine options for an offset scheme that will allow farmers to participate in the carbon market, but there are no details on how this scheme might operate. There will be challenges in designing a scheme that can apply to the 120 horticultural crops grown in Queensland.”

Growcom’s policy is that while the emissions produced by the sector are low – about one per cent of agricultural emissions or about 0.2 per cent of total emissions – there was still the need for a policy mechanism to encourage reductions in emissions if Australia was to genuinely and equitably tackle climate change across the nation.

“This can be done on horticultural farms by encouraging land management changes to maintain and improve soil carbon content and to use fertilisers and irrigation efficiently,” said Mackenzie.

“Techniques include establishing new irrigation systems such as trickle, redesigning and replanting tree orchards, or employing controlled traffic techniques that require a new farm layout, new machinery and technology.

“We would welcome an incentives-based scheme, like the federal government’s successful Reef Rescue incentive program, that encourages the adoption of best management practices known to reduce emissions and at the same time helps growers adapt to climate change while allowing agricultural productivity to grow to meet predicted increased food demand in the years ahead.”

Growcom’s policy on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme can be read at www.growcom.com.au