MONDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2019
Let’s get started on a national strategy says farmer delegation to Canberra
A delegation of more than 20 farmers from across the country descended on the nation’s capital today to call for progress on a national strategy on climate change and agriculture.
The delegation – which included a beef grazier from Longreach, Victorian viticulturists and a Tasmanian salad producer – met with Parliamentarians and supported the launch of a new report, Change in the air: Defining the need for an Australian agricultural climate change strategy.
Environment Minister Sussan Ley addressed attendees at the launch of the report, which Farmers for Climate Action commissioned the Australian Farm Institute (AFI) to write.
Farmers for Climate Action Chair and Bowna beef producer Lucinda Corrigan said: “With drought and fires plaguing farmers across New South Wales and Queensland, and other regions facing increasingly challenging conditions; the need for a national strategy for climate change and agriculture has never been more apparent.”
“It was wonderful to see the support in the room today for a national strategy. It’s increasingly clear that the current patchwork of policies is just not enough to deal with the complexity of these challenges, and that a fully-funded and implemented national plan is essential to the future of Australian food security and the profitability and sustainability of our farm businesses.”
AFI Executive Director Richard Heath said: “To date, strategy to mitigate climate change impacts on farm businesses and improve agricultural resilience is either absent or notably immature in Australian policy.
“With Australian farmers responsible for almost half the country’s land, we have a collective social obligation and an economic imperative to care for this natural capital. However, upholding this stewardship grows more difficult and more costly as climate change impacts both the health of the environment and farmers’ profitability,” Mr Heath, also a former farmer, said.
Farmers for Climate Action launched the report in collaboration with AFI.
ENDS
Media contact: Fiona Davis, 0434 505 188, [email protected]
