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ENSURING SUSTAINABILITY IN A CHANGING CLIMATE
Ensuring sustainability
Climate change and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are of critical concern to the Australian community, government and livestock industry. Our environment portfolio is geared to ensuring the Australian red meat industry is well- positioned for emerging policy needs, consumer and market expectations, and to build resilience to the impacts of climate change.
We established an Environmental Science Advisory Panel led by Professor Nick Costa, to assist in developing new initiatives in response to climate change developments.
Our environment portfolio has strong links with the Climate Change Research Strategy for Primary Industries (CCRSPI), the national initiative to build co-operation between research and development corporations and state agencies to maximise benefits through co-investment and avoid duplication of effort.
We take a significant role in providing technical information and policy support through membership on a number of advisory and consultative groups to ensure the circumstances and achievements of the livestock industries are recognised and considered in developing government climate change response, including an emissions trading scheme (ETS). Representation includes the land-based sector ETS Consultative Group which includes the National Farmers Federation; CCRSPI Steering Committee and Advisory Group; and Managing Climate Variability Phase II Project Management Committee.
We set up structures to invest $2 million a year starting in 2008–09 for new climate change R&D that focuses on:
- Improved measurement and research into reducing methane emissions, while maintaining productivity and profitability.
- Adaptation to climate change, including understanding the impacts of projected future temperatures, rainfall and carbon dioxide concentrations on pasture growth and quality.
- Understanding the opportunities and risks for grazing enterprises.
An important component of our climate change portfolio has been to communicate developments and opportunities to producers. We have collaborated with the Bureau of Meteorology, Land & Water Australia, the Bureau of Rural Sciences and Birchip Cropping Group in a program funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to develop a package of easy-to-understand materials that are available on our website and have been presented at workshops and to industry groups such as the peak councils.
Sustainable processing
Water shortages and energy constraints on the processing sector have formed the core of MLA environmental research in the off-farm area.
We commissioned Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) to study international emissions trading schemes to identify potential issues and opportunities for the processing sector. Their modelling highlighted that our industry will be exposed to restraints on its direct and indirect carbon emissions from consumption of electricity. The report recommended early engagement with the government to explain the potential implications to the industry of credit allocations under an ETS. The report will inform the meat industry’s strategy going forward.
In anticipation of the need to minimise energy consumption, research identified energy efficiency opportunities with 12 processors representative of all types of processing businesses in the sector. The research findings will be incorporated into an energy efficiency manual next year to help the processing sector capitalise on energy savings under an emissions trading scheme.
