The concept of paying landholders for their efforts in improving biodiversity has been a long held thought among farmers.
They have borne the brunt of the cost of native vegetation and development policy at an individual level for decades.
The new farm biodiversity certification scheme trial could be a chance at a new and fairer way of balancing the economic needs of farmers with society's expectations around biodiversity.
But, some creative ideas are desperately needed to help farmers and landholders to get around the big upfront costs associated with the proposed baseline assessments.
These baselines would be used to measure future biodiversity progress and therefore to determine what the landholder might get paid.
A system where farmers were paid on measurable outcomes for biodiversity could allow balance between development and biodiversity.
But for it to work, it has to get away from being a farmer pays system. If the average Joe Bloggs tax payer that makes up our "society" is demanding this, then shouldn't Joe pay?
Through tax payer dollars we are, after all, supposedly paying for improved biodiversity through services such as our national parks.
If this is aiming for the same outcomes (i.e. enhanced biodiversity), then why is the cost potentially on the farmer for what is essentially the same service, with the exception that farmers would actually have to be accountable.
That's why more farmers are needed in this discussion.
This is an opportunity to do better than the NSW Biodiversity Act, and much better than the unworkable state environment planning policies.
It's an opportunity to move away from the "big stick" approach and for the first time, possibly ever, to put a tangible value on biodiversity.
In last week's webinar, commodity leader in beef for the World Wildlife Fund, Ian McConnel, said "farmers should embrace biodiversity stewardship to help drive a robust Australian food brand".
But that's only a small part of the picture.
The cost of healthy food is a cost that everybody pays somehow. All Australians need to bear the load of a healthy environment, because without it, we won't have a clean, green brand to sell - and that is a job for more than just farmers, hence farmers shouldn't shoulder the cost alone.
