GRDC’s new on-farm emissions lowering project aims to shape the future of sustainable farming in Australia

Australia’s grains industry is leaning further in to reducing on-farm emissions at a time the red meat industry is pulling away. The nation’s biggest grains research organisation this week unveiled a five-year, $21 million project focused on managing emissions risks and determining which carbon market and credential schemes best “aligned with their enterprise goals”. It comes less than a month after the Australian red meat industry abandoned its goal to reach net zero emissions by 2030, with the Red Meat Advisory Council deeming it was “not possible” to meet the Meat and Livestock Australia goal set in 2019. Grains Research Development Corporation launched the Low Emissions Intensity Farming Systems on July 21, saying the project would explore and demonstrate the benefits of monitoring, managing and reporting greenhouse gas emissions at the farm scale. It aligns with the industry’s goal of achieving net zero by 2050, a goal announced in 2022. GRDC chair Sharon Starick said the project had been developed to help grain growers respond to increasing pressure to monitor, manage and report GHG emissions intensity in order to meet trade, finance and consumer expectations. “The Australian grains industry is recognised globally for producing low emission grain,” she said. “To ensure we remain competitive in international markets and contribute to reducing the agriculture sector’s GHG emissions, the industry requires a science-based approach to monitoring, managing and reporting emissions. “Within Australia, agriculture currently accounts for 17 per cent of emissions, reducing these is critical for mitigating future climate risks, maintaining global competitiveness, meeting community expectations and maintaining critical social licence.” The initiative will be delivered by CSIRO, in collaboration with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, South Australian Research and Development Institute, and the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. CSIRO principal research scientist Lynne Macdonald said the priority was to support growers to make informed, emissions-conscious decisions that align with their enterprise goals. “This includes supporting the use of accounting tools, improving understanding of benefits and trade-offs between productivity, profit and emissions, and establishing robust and trusted regional benchmarks,” she said. GRDC managing director Nigel Hart said LEIFS was the cornerstone of the organisation’s sustainability initiative. He said $150 million had been co-invested with research partners in research, development and extension investments with direct sustainability outcomes. “We have invested significantly in this critical area because we understand how important it is for Australian grain growers and their long-term productivity, profitability and sustainability,” he said.“Ultimately the goal through the LEIFS initiative is for 80 per cent of Australian grain production to be actively accounting GHG emissions for improved business performance and market access.” Meat and Livestock Australia managing director Michael Crowley said the red meat industry’s carbon-neutral goal, first adopted in 2017, had driven more than $100 million in sustainability investment but was no longer feasible under current conditions. The target was introduced at the height of concerns about emissions from livestock, with the industry concerned it would face the existential threat of customers switching to other proteins.