Farmers for Climate Action welcomes budget measures

These measures include:

There is a need for serious pollution reduction this decade to keep farmers farming, and FCA CEO Natalie Collard noted 'while this budget is a step in the right direction, there is much more to do'.

"We call on the government and industry to work together to reduce pollution every year and position agriculture to be profitable, productive and sustainable for generations to come," she said.

"It's good to see a commitment to invest in helping farmers reduce carbon pollution, hand in hand with the net zero sector plan for agriculture. We look forward to examining the details of this investment when announced at the Sustainable Agriculture Summit in Toowoomba."

FCA are also pleased at the Government's already-announced commitment of $1bn for the Solar Sunshot initiative to produce solar panels in regional Australia. Australians value being self-sufficient and know that making what we need here in our country can create regional jobs and deliver vibrant regional communities.

"We know farmers and regional Australians broadly support renewable energy in their regions, with the massive CSIRO survey recently confirming 83 percent of Australians in regional and rural towns confirming they would be okay with living near renewable energy infrastructure," Ms Collard said.

This reinforces Farmers for Climate Action polling released in February which saw residents in energy shift regions name renewable energy as the biggest opportunity for their regions.

"And yet, fossil fuel subsidies have risen to $14.5 billion in the 2023-24 financial year," Ms Collard said.

"Taxpayer money should not be used to subsidise the polluters who are making farming harder.

"Regarding the proposed farm biosecurity levy, we don't think charging farmers more money to pay for risks they didn't create is the right way forward. The big importing companies who create the risk of importing pests and diseases should pay for that - not farmers."