Australian climate policy to hurt agriculture in short term

The Age (Australia): The Federal Government's climate change policy will have a much bigger initial impact on agriculture than climate change itself. That was a key message delivered to a farming and climate change conference by Mick Keogh, executive director of the Australian Farm Institute. Agribusiness Gippsland organised the conference in Warragul.

Mr Keogh said the introduction of an emissions trading scheme (ETS) in 2010 would be "a significant challenge in the short to medium term. The details of the ETS are being developed, and the role that agriculture will play is not yet clear," he said. "Despite this, there are already some obvious implications for the sector."

Agriculture makes up 16% of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions, with ruminant livestock the biggest contributor at 10%, figures show. Mr Keogh said energy and energy-related input costs would increase significantly, and render the industry less competitive. Other inputs — fuel, fertiliser, freight and chemicals — would also go up more than they would have otherwise.

"Nitrogen fertilisers will come under increased scrutiny because of their greenhouse impacts," he said....

Wheat growing in Australia around 1915, from the Australian Department of External Affairs, Wikimedia Commons