Agriculture emissions rise after bumper crops, bigger herds

Greenhouse gases produced by Aussie agriculture have risen again after record crops and rebuilding beef and sheep herds.

Favourable production conditions that powered record crops along with rebuilding beef and sheep herds has caused agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions to increase, albeit at a lower rate than previous quarters.

Agriculture accounted for 17.9 per cent of Australia’s national greenhouse gas emissions inventory in the 12 months to September last year, with agricultural emissions increasing by 2.5 per cent, the latest Australian National Greenhouse Accounts report shows.

Increasing beef cattle populations and crop production saw agricultural emissions continue to rise, but at a lower rate than in the 12 months to June 2023 (3.8 per cent) and March 2023 (3.2 per cent) respectively.

Increased crop residues and fertiliser use, as part of the record crop production in 2022-23, drove part of the additional emissions. However, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said it expected crop-related emissions to fall in the 2023-24 year.

Greater pasture-fed beef herd and sheep flock sizes also contributed to agriculture’s increased emissions during the 12 months to September last year.

Overall, the report found the nation’s total emissions were at 459.7 million tonnes across all sectors, about 2.2 million tonnes less than the previous September quarter, or a 0.5 per cent reduction.

Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are now 25.4 per cent below June 2005 levels, the base year for the nation’s 43 per cent reduction by 2030 under the Paris Agreement.

The latest figures come after federal agriculture minister Murray Watt batted away fears the nation’s agriculture sector would be forced to meet net-zero emission targets, ruling out a specific emissions reduction target for the sector.