VFF President Andrew Broad put forward the concerns of Victorian farmers regarding a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) in a meeting with Federal Minister for Climate Change and Water Penny Wong last wek.
“The feedback we have received from farmers time and time again is that they do not want to be penalised for producing food,” Mr Broad said.
The meeting gave Mr Broad a chance to be honest with the government and to record the concerns of our members, and the entire farming community, with their proposals regarding emissions trading, he said.
“Farmers do not want a further tax on food production or processing. We are calling for the flexibility to be part of the solution through the recognition of carbon mitigation.
"We have asked Minister Wong to take this message to her Party Room, to the Cabinet table and to international discussions in December.”
“All the evidence has shown that any move to include agricultural emissions within the CPRS would have a detrimental impact on our farming industries.
"Agriculture supports the employment of over 1.6 million Australians whose jobs would be put on the line if CPRS modelling is accurate.
“Victorian farmers have again reiterated the difficulties of incorporating agricultural emissions within the CPRS. I hope the Minister, and the government, are listening."
