THE HON MARK DREYFUS QC MP
Cabinet Secretary
Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Innovation
THE HON JANELLE SAFFIN MP
Federal Member for Page
MEDIA RELEASE
New Carbon farming Handbook to help australia’s farmers create extra revenue
29 March, 2011 |
Farmers, landholders, waste operators and other clean energy businesses in the Northern Rivers region seeking to take part in the Gillard Government’s Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) can now access information in a new handbook launched in Casino today by the Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Mark Dreyfus.
Speaking at a carbon farming forum organised by Federal Member for Page Janelle Saffin, Mr Dreyfus encouraged farmers, land owners, local government and other stakeholders to utilise the Carbon Farming Initiative to generate extra income by reducing agricultural and landfill waste pollution.
“Climate change poses a serious risk to the future of Australian agriculture and food production, with scientists confirming a strong link to less predictable and more intense weather events. Over the next six years, the Gillard Government will support the land sector by investing $1.7 billion dollars of carbon price revenue to support the CFI and other programs to improve productivity, sustainability and profitability,” said Mr Dreyfus.
“Farmers and landholders have an important role to play in our nation’s clean energy future by increasing the land sector's resilience to climate change and improving long term farm productivity.”
“The Carbon Farming Initiative Handbook will be a great resource for farmers in the Northern Rivers region. It sets out how farmers and landholders can improve their land and farm sustainability while generating carbon credits that can be sold on domestic and international markets,” said Ms Saffin.
“Farmers and landholders in the Northern Rivers region can now benefit from methodologies that have already been approved under the CFI, including reducing methane in piggeries, flaring landfill gas, planting native species and reducing pollution from savanna burning,” said Ms Saffin.
“CSIRO, universities and other research bodies are developing a number of other methodologies with the federal government, including dairy cattle food supplementation, enhanced efficiency fertilisers, manure management and soil carbon,” said Mr Dreyfus.
While in the region, the Parliamentary Secretary also visited Casino West Public School, which received funding under the National Solar Schools Program, and met with local councils to discuss the CFI and the Government’s Clean Energy Future plan.
Further information about the Carbon Farming Initiative is available at: www.climatechange.gov.au/cfi
Media contact: Giulia Baggio 0400 918 776 (Dreyfus) and Matt Dunne 0417 287 456 (Saffin)
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