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WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 7 2024 THEWEEKLYTIMES.COM.AU
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AUTUMN
Reducing carbon emissions a job
Producers can take practical steps to help hit the CN30 target, writes NICOLA BELL
T he Australian red meat industry has set a target to be carbon neutral by 2030. This means that by then, Australian beef, lamb and goat production, including lot feed- ing and meat processing, aim to make no net release of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. It’s an ambitious goal and one that is now just six years away. According to Meat and Livestock Australia the CN30 target sends a clear signal to government, global markets and consumers that the live- stock industry is proactively addressing emissions and tak- ing action to improve long- term productivity. “By taking action, the red meat industry pre-empts cur- rent and future market expec- tations regarding environmental credentials which will allow red meat pro- ducers to stamp their mark in a competitive global protein market,” MLA said. To date, the Australian red meat industry has decreased annual emissions by 57 per cent towards its target.
An additional 54.61 million tonnes per annum must be di- verted to achieve CN30. EDUCATION PHASE Agriculture Victoria climate specialist Graeme Anderson said there was a “big education phase” underway, with many farmers trying to educate themselves. Mr Anderson said many people ask what all the fuss around greenhouse gases is about. He said while gases such as CO2 aren’t necessarily toxic, the problem is the gases trap heat. “The story goes way back to the 1800s when scientists first discovered the abilities of these heat-trapping gases,” he said. “Basically, adding more greenhouse gases is like slowly winding up the windows and trapping more heat. “That’s why scientists ex- pect our warming trends to continue in the coming dec- ades. “It’s basic physics. “This is all about changing the ratio of heat in versus heat out. That’s why we expect to see much more attention paid
To understand how carbon neutral targets translate on-farm the best place for farmers to start is to understand their farm’s emissions, says Agriculture Victoria climate specialist Graeme Anderson.
to how we manage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which is good because in agri- culture we don’t want things getting much hotter, especially because a warmer world will affect our seasons, weather patterns, and variability.” According to Agriculture Victoria resources, under-
standing carbon and emissions can help agriculture to: capital- ise on growing market demand for primary produce that can demonstrate improved and improving emissions perform- ance, and increase productivity through greater efficiencies and new technologies. WHAT’S THE SCORE? So how does being carbon neu- tral translate on-farm? And what can producers do to pre- pare? Mr Anderson said the best place to start for farmers was to understand their farm’s emis- sions. “There are calculators out there that can help work out what your farm emissions in- tensity figure is, which helps educate on if the score is good or poor, then once you under- stand your own farm emis- sions, you can work from there,” he said. “In the longer term we want producers to reduce the emis- sions per kilogram of product
produced.” Agriculture Victor- ia is currently running an on- farm emissions action plan pilot, which will work with up to 250 farm businesses across the state to estimate their on- farm emissions profile and identify potential actions to manage and reduce emissions while maintaining productivity and profitability. Meanwhile, a number of farmers are already proving there are ways to increase on- farm productivity while also reducing greenhouse gas emis- sions on-farm. Mr Anderson said farmers have a bit of an advantage as they have land and they can offset some of their emissions which will buy them time. “While it is a good idea from a business point of view to know your emissions, it will become more likely for pro- ducers to be asked more often for input and output data from end users. “For example those who ex- port canola to the EU have to
meet market criteria and pro- vide extra detail, so farmers will do that if it is worthwhile.” DON’T GO IT ALONE Mr Anderson said it was im- portant producers did not try to solve the problem alone. He said there were a num- ber of helpful resources and pilot programs, as everyone was trying to learn together. “We are all trying to make sense of it all, because we have to,” he said. “All sectors, not just agricul- ture, are trying to work out how to lower emissions and everyone benefits from food and fibre production, so it isn’t just up to farmers alone to fix it. “There is a huge role for all along the supply chain.” While Mr Anderson said aiming for carbon neutral was good long-term, it was difficult, so the best way for farmers to approach it was to know their intensity number and work on improving it over time.
Australia’s red meat industry has decreased annual emissions by 57 per cent towards its CN30 target.
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