Methane tax ‘a breach of trust with farmers’, says Tony Mahar

Farmers say Anthony Albanese would break the trust of regional Australians if he put new taxes or regulations on the livestock sector under a plan to sign up to Joe Biden’s methane reduction pledge.

National Farmers Federation chief executive Tony Mahar says the government had assured him the commitment would not leave farmers worse off. Picture: AAP

Farmers say Anthony Albanese would break the trust of regional Australians if he put new taxes or regulations on the livestock sector under a plan to sign up to Joe Biden’s methane reduction pledge.

After The Australian revealed the government was going to sign a pledge to lower methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, ­National Farmers Federation chief executive Tony Mahar said the government had assured him the commitment would not leave farmers worse off.

“We’ve sought several assurances,” Mr Mahar said. “These include: no new taxes or regulation on livestock methane; recognition of agriculture’s existing plans and progress; and ongoing support to develop technology-led solutions. We’ve been given these ­assurances and it’s important they be upheld if and when a formal commitment is made otherwise trust with the farming sector and rural and regional Australia will be broken.”

Calling the pledge “aspirational”, Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said the government would keep its word on not imposing new taxes or regulations on farmers. Instead, the government was working with industry on improving the diet of livestock to lower emissions.

“The industry wouldn’t be looking at moving towards carbon-neutral meat production if they weren’t comfortable that the industry would be sustainable and viable,” Senator Watt said.

“It’s already been signed up to by about 120 other countries, ­including some of the biggest beef-producing countries in the world like the US and Argentina, and the sky hasn’t fallen in those countries.”

Nationals leader David Littleproud said the policy would ­increase the cost of meat and put the “Aussie barbecue under threat”.

Opposition climate change spokesman Ted O’Brien said the pledge would “act like a tax”.

“It is Labor’s T-bone tax,” he said. “It is all about driving down consumption which in turn will drive numbers down in herds.”

The livestock sector is responsible for about 48 per cent of the country’s methane emissions, which make up about 25 per cent of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions, but the sector has set its own target to be carbon neutral by 2030.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday flagged plans to tax from 2025 greenhouse gases produced by farm animals, outraging producers. Methane is also produced through mining, oil and gas ­extraction, and urban landfill.

The Minerals Council of Australia and the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association on Thursday had no protests about the government signing the methane pledge. APPEA chief executive Samantha McCulloch said the industry had been consulting with the government about Australia joining the international commitment.

“We have long been committed to reducing methane emissions and the industry continues to monitor, report and reduce its fugitive emissions profile,” she said. “Methane emissions from Australia’s oil and gas industry are extremely low compared to that of the same sector in other nations.”

The Tasmanian-based Sea Forest company is using CSIRO-developed research to commercialise asparagopsis seaweed supplements that reduce methane emissions from livestock.

Sea Forest chief executive Sam Elsom said Australia was in a strong position to use technology to meet its pledge commitments. “Unlike a lot of the companies signing up to the pledge, we have a solution growing in our backyard,” he said.