The National Irrigators’ Council (NIC), convenors of the Ag Energy Taskforce, says the Government’s first low emissions technologies statement is an important cog in the wheel of offering agriculture the opportunity to benefit from, and contribute to, achieving Australia’s emissions goals.
NIC CEO, Steve Whan said “Minister Taylor was absolutely right about two key things in his launch today; the first is that when a technology makes business sense it will be adopted quickly and the second is that the agriculture sector is already demonstrating its willingness to play its part.
“The Ag Energy Taskforce has been emphasising for some time the need to get certainty around the opportunities for carbon sequestration on farm. We welcome the resources going into this. Improving soil carbon is good for reducing carbon in the atmosphere but also great for soil health and productivity.
“I have also observed the enthusiasm of many in the agriculture sector when they look at opportunities that could come from green hydrogen. Queensland Farmers are just one peak farm body exploring its potential. It is pleasing to see the massive focus on making Australia a world leader in this area – with the one proviso, that we do want to see this on a small scale for rural and regional application, as well as on a grid and export scale.
“The commitment we see in this statement and in last week’s announcements on storage is also vital.
“The technology statement is (as the Government has made clear) one part of an overall picture on low emissions roadmaps, and agriculture remains very enthusiastic about other parts of the picture including the bioenergy roadmap.
“Several of the technologies outlined as ‘emerging’ for the second statement in 2021 are of great importance to agriculture and we will continue to work with Government on them. They include microgrids, off-grid or fringe of grid systems, energy efficiency and off course livestock feed technologies.
“Several of the technologies outlined as ‘emerging’ for the second statement in 2021 are of great importance to agriculture and we will continue to work with Government on them. They include microgrids, off-grid or fringe of grid systems, energy efficiency and off course livestock feed technologies.
“Farmers were early adopters of renewables and they will be quick to take up other clean fuel sources when they are viable. Commitments to bridging the gap to affordability are very welcome, noting of course, that farmers like any business need a stable policy environment and investment certainty to come on board.”
Media Contact: Steve Whan 0429 780 883
Tuesday 22 September 2020