Cattle Australia has condemned the Federal Government’s decision to suspend the Beef Herd Method for accounting carbon emission reductions as yet another sneaky, short-sighted betrayal of an industry that is the largest sustainable land manager in Australia.
CA Deputy Chair Adam Coffey said Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen had used the distraction of the upcoming Christmas period to divert attention away from his decision to prevent new applications to use this high-impact and successful method of incentivising sustainable agricultural management practices.
“The decision can only be described as duplicitous and ill-considered, given the deadline for submissions to the Government’s own review of carbon accounting methods does not close until the end of January next year,” Mr Coffey said.
“Clearly our Federal Government has no interest in achieving genuine outcomes that enhance emission offsets otherwise this ridiculous decision would never have been made.
“Of the 19 recognised methods for accounting for carbon mitigation, the Beef Herd Method has delivered the fourth biggest volume of Australia Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) – a total of 953,241 ACCUs which equates to an offset of more than 1 million tonnes of emissions.”
Mr Coffey said this significant contribution had been delivered from just 11 projects, demonstrating the potential of the system to have an even greater impact as participation increases.
“While a few large producers have led the way in understanding and implementing the Beef Herd Method, there are many more cattle producers ready to participate in this vital carbon market once the value of ACCUs rises to a point to make it viable for smaller operations in to invest in long-term projects.
“Closing off the Beef Herd Method is short sighted in the extreme and fails to take into account future market changes. This decision intentionally takes commercial opportunities away from beef producers and misses an opportunity for larger-scale carbon abatement through regional and rural Australia.”
Mr Coffey said the fact registered participants would be free to continue utilising the method to accrue ACCUs, further demonstrated the value of the Beef Herd Method and the nonsensical decision of the Government at a time when they are purportedly encouraging agricultural land owners and managers to invest in emission offset programs.
“The decision also ignores the massive investment the Australian beef industry has made in research and development projects that have delivered new pasture species, nutritional additives and genetic technologies to help us achieve our goal of climate neutrality,” he said.
“The grazing sector has been proactive in responding to calls to implement practices that minimise climate impacts – we urge the Federal Government to repeal its decision and open access for increased participation in the Beef Herd Method as an effective financial incentive for climate abatement.
-Cattle Australia