AUSTRALIA shares the same commitment to reducing agriculture's impacts on the environment as many of the countries now putting in place 'green deal' trade requirements, however the way our farmers get there will have to be different.
Conveying this message overseas has become a high priority for politicians and government representatives, the secretary of the Department of Agriculture Andrew Metcalfe has revealed.
Speaking at the country's largest forum for planning for the future of Australian agriculture, Outlook 2023, in Canberra this week, Mr Metcalfe said thinking around the intersection of agricultural productivity and the environment was now palpable on the global stage.
With 70 per cent of Australia's agricultural production exported, which this year will amount to a new record of $75 billion worth, the vast majority of producers are focused on selling into other countries.
So global expectations and requirements will be critical to their future, Mr Metcalfe said.
Devising an Australian way of meeting expectations around the environment must be our priority.
"We tried European farming systems in Australia for 150 years or so and they didn't work out all that well," Mr Metcalfe told more than 500 delegates at the Outlook event.
"Modern Australian farming methods - and no-till is one example - are designed to recognise the Australian climate, soils, vegetation and biodiversity."
Enormous work at a diplomatic level was going into making sure Australia's commitments to sustainable agriculture were well and truly understood overseas, Mr Metcalfe said.
So too on the topic of animal welfare.
"Frankly some of our trading partners are being mischievous and misrepresenting Australia's commitment to high standards of animal welfare," he said.
"A lot of work has gone into correcting the record."
Mr Metcalfe was referring to recent industry and government delegations to Europe, the United Kingdom, Germany, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where Australian agriculture representatives had the opportunity to meet with more than 60 agriculture ministers from around the globe and international bodies like the European Commission, the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Organisation of Animal Health.
"One thing that was striking was how countries are thinking long-term about the future and the role that agriculture will play in a world that is progressively decarbonising, and about their food security and supply chains," he said.
"There are many forums happening in what one would describe as the environment's set of interests and we've seen that notably in the EU, with various plans in place, and so we need to emphasise repeatedly that Australia would need to get there in quite a different way."
Toowoomba born and bred, Mr Metcalfe, a former senior partner in global professional services firm EY, said agriculture industries were often the canary in the coal mine.
"Issues hit our sector quite often before they fan out into the wider community, such as global market shocks, supply chain problems and climate change," he said.
ALSO FROM OUTLOOK:
Shan Goodwin
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
