Welcome to the NFF’s Weekly Wrap, bringing you the week’s farming and political news each Friday.
Headlines
Annual report card on agriculture's $100 billion goal out next week Agriculture has remained strong despite the challenges of COVID-19, thanks largely to drought-breaking rains. This is the headline of the NFF's 2020 Report Card, an assessment on progress towards the sector's $100 billion goal. The NFF will hold a webinar outlining highlights from this year's Report Card at midday on Wednesday 9 December. Click here to join (no pre-registration required).
Farmers and tourism operates say bring back backpackers
The NFF has teamed up with the tourism sector to call for a COVID safe restart of the Working Holiday Maker Program. Backpackers inject $3.2bn into the economy each year with up to 200,000 backpackers
working farm jobs before spending their cash as tourists, often in regional towns.
Agriculture in the box seat for a reduced emissions future Emissions from cropping and grazing have fallen by 69 per cent over the past three decades, from about 300 million tonnes per year in 1990 to about 92 million tonnes today. The NFF today commended the Federal Government’s suite of climate change action measures that will help ensure farmers continue to be a leaders in the mitigation of climate change. Read more about an expansion of Australia's Emissions Reduction Fund, in the Briefing below.
Bin buster! 2020
harvest set to be one for the record books
National grain yields are forecast to tally 51.5 million tonnes, according to a report released by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics’ this week. The ABARES December Crop Report revealed that this year is shaping up to be second only to the record 56.7 million tonnes
reached in 2016–17.
Government announces an
expansion of Emissions Reductions Fund
Energy & Emissions Reduction Minister, Angus Taylor today announced an expansion of the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) to help unlock further abatement across the economy
Minister Taylor announced the Government would prioritise method development in five key areas:
Soil carbon – storing carbon in agricultural soil by undertaking new land management practices and reducing costs of measuring soil carbon;
carbon capture and storage – capturing carbon dioxide and storing it underground in geological formations;
biomethane (green gas) – injecting refined biogases into gas pipelines for use by natural gas consumers;
plantation forestry – building on the existing method to include
new opportunities; and
blue carbon – reintroducing tidal flows to restore mangroves and tidal marshes.
The methodologies are designed to support businesses in the manufacturing, industrial and land sectors to invest in low emissions technologies to unlock energy and emissions savings.
The Regulator will work with industry to co-design priority methods and will finalise these methods within 12 months. It will publicly report on method development progress.
Quote of the week
“ If you know a farmer, he or she will be a lot happier to talk to,"
- MUNGINDI FARMER, SAM HEAGNEY ON THIS YEAR'S BUMPER GRAIN HARVEST
Sent by the National Farmers' Federation, NFF House, 14-16 Brisbane Avenue, Barton ACT 2600
