Farm climate warning sparks call for practical action
The agriculture industry warns Australia’s food security hangs in the balance after the release of the climate assessment.
The nation’s farmers have called on the government to do more to ensure that primary producers can adapt to and survive through a changing climate, as the long-awaited National Climate Risk Assessment painted a grim picture of the industry’s future.
The assessment, released on Monday, warned that some of the nation’s most productive agricultural regions were likely to suffer from decreased rainfall while increased heat stress in cattle and sheep would hurt productivity and animal welfare.
That would in turn have an impact on both the economy and consumers, in particular those in regional Australia.
“Livestock, crops, horticulture, forestry and fisheries will all be affected by climate change, with flow-on impacts to farming communities, food supply chains, food prices and security, and rural economies,” the assessment warned.
National Farmers Federation interim chief executive Su McCluskey described the modelling as sobering and a reminder that farming would only get harder if Australia did not get its climate policy right.
She said Australia’s farmers had a proven record of adapting to changing conditions. “These findings are serious but they’re not cause for panic. They’re a call for practical, informed decisions,” she said.
Technological innovation, crop diversification and new feed sources could all help improve the sector’s outlook. “Agriculture is already cutting emissions and delivering solutions. With the right support, agriculture can deliver on climate, productivity and sustainability at the same time,” she said.
“As we move towards an emissions reduction target, let’s have an informed debate about sensible, science-based pathways that balance climate goals with the need to keep producing food and fibre.”
Cattle Australia chief executive Will Evans said the findings were another reminder of the need to improve productivity and, as a result, the beef industry’s economic resilience.
“The government must act on the clear recommendation of the report to incentivise and support farm businesses,” he said.
“As well as lifting red and green tape, the government must urgently address the lack of opportunity and incentives to grow and diversify their businesses, as well as providing more opportunities for cattle producers to participate in the carbon industry through the Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme. “Every dollar the beef industry can put away today is a dollar we know we are going to need in the future.”
AgZero – a farmer-led advocacy group from Western Australia that has been campaigning for the sector to become net-zero – said the assessment showed the need for a climate target of at least a 75 per cent reduction in emissions by 2035.
AgZero chief executive Verity Morgan-Schmidt said farming communities were on the frontline of a changing climate and action needed to be taken now to protect future productivity.
“Agriculture has made strong and steady progress in decarbonisation within our sector, and our farmers are some of the most efficient in the world. But this report makes it clear that our risks are compounding and our collective response must match the severity of the climate challenge,” she said.
Farmers for Climate Action, which has more than 8400 farmer members, said the report was a reminder of the “huge cost” paid by farmers and our food supply if carbon pollution was not reduced.
FCA chief executive Natalie Collard said almost every issue facing farmers was made more difficult by climate change, including water availability, skills shortages, insurance costs, drought, flood and fire assistance, health and even the live export of sheep.
“We need deep pollution reduction this decade to protect our farmers and our food supply,” she said. “Food security is national security. It’s time all sides put their tribalism and ideology aside and work together to reduce pollution to protect our farmers and our food supply.”
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