The current and former heads of ABARE have joined the growing chorus of Agricultural Economist who are warning that the Emissions Trading Scheme will have dire consequences for Australia’s trade exposed Agricultural industry.
Dr Brian Fisher, former head of ABARE for 18 years has expressed grave fears for the future of Australian Agriculture under the proposed Emissions Trading Scheme.
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“Introducing a scheme ahead of other nations was not prosecuting Australia’s national interest, it was prosecuting somebody else’s and we are going to be damned if we do.
There is absolutely nothing to be gained by going first here. We are a very, very small country. We constitute about 1.3 odd per cent of emissions on the planet.
The government should focus its domestic climate change policy on adaptation because it will be “years” before there is an international agreement on emissions trading between the 190 countries involved in the ongoing negotiations.”
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Dr Fishers views reinforce what Agmates said in the article: “ETS in Aust & NZ will Zero impact on global emissions”
In fact if you are one of the 1,000’s of informed Agmates readers you will have know for at least 2 months that the ETS in its existing form is disastrous for Australian farmers. Rural Press finally 10 weeks later have picked up on that fact. On the 5th of July we wrote:.
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“What the main stream media have missed in the flood of coverage is the potential devastation to rural Australia the emission trading scheme will be.”
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Dr Fishers successor at ABARE Phillip Glyde [pictured below], supports his views. He points out that regardless of whether or not agriculture was included in the ETS from 2010, the impacts on farming through the use of emission intensive inputs would be significant.
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“In the cropping sector, 39 per cent of the input costs to cropping came from emission-intensive inputs, while in livestock those costs were about 17 per cent.
There’s only one solution to all of this, particularly while the rest of the world doesn’t introduce an ETS or have emissions trading schemes excluding agriculture - it is to continue down the path of productivity improvements.
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The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE), located in Canberra, is the Australian government’s own economic research agency and is respected for its professional independent research and analysis.
It is incredulous that the chief architects of the Emissions Trading Scheme Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Agriculture Minister Tony Burke and Climate Change Minister Penny Wong are ignoring their own Economic experts advise.
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Have your say!
Q. Why do you think that the architects of the ETS are going to knowingly cripple our Agricultural industry with an ETS that will have zero impact on global emissions?
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Got a tip off, article or have you seen a video or item you’d like to be seen by the Agmates Community? If so please email it to us at news@agmates.com
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Related Posts
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- Global Warming Pioneer Dr James Lovelock warns Emissions Trading Scheme is a Waste of Time
- Professor Bob Carter Labels Emissions Trading Scheme as Economic Vandalism
- Ian Plimer - “Emissions Trading Scheme - Why Bother?”
DO YOU THINK WE ARE TURNING SOME KIND OF CORNER HERE.
There must have been a changing of the guard at ABARE.
The wheels are beginning to fall off the cart that Rudd and Wong are pushing. That is probably why toad Rudd is racing over to America to get instructions because the population aren’t believing his global warming religious propaganda as they were supposed too.
I THINK DUDD MIGHT BE PANICING !
Hooray for AUSTRALIA and AUSTRALIANS
Ok I’ll bite…
The cheek to quote Fisher… Howard’s anti GW patsy at ABARE for a decade!
The same ABARE who think oil prices will peak at $87 a barrell in 2013 before settling to $67. What were they in June? $140ish??
This is what ABARE said in DEc 2007:”
ABARE called for the inclusion of agriculture in an emissions-trading scheme.
“In Australia, the inclusion of agriculture in an emissions trading scheme will provide incentives to mitigate emissions from agriculture and opportunities for carbon sequestration, particularly in forestry.”
And their chief economist Dr Gunasekera: “But Dr Gunasekera said the bureau’s analysis last year was not comparable with its latest findings and should not be used to forestall action to cut emissions.
“There’s an admission all over the world that climate change is real, it’s happening,” Dr Gunasekera said. Rather than trying to compare the cost of inaction with the cost of action, let’s get on with it.”
And although I know you don’t like Crikey Steve:
I just think they are wrong. Who knows - maybe ABARE has been taken over by Skeptics?
I can’t believe that Garnaut’s investigations have not included a thorough analysis of the agriculture sector, in fact I do believe he has considered the cross section of the economy, and the likely costs.
Fact is Garnaut has recommended a very low reduction target, which will basically gear us up to quickly capitalise on any global emissions agreement, without making such cuts that could cripple Australia were we to go it alone.
BOth sides of politics are committed to an ETS introduced in Australia regardless of international agreement, and I assume that includes the Nats in the coalition… so really the criticism is not just at Rudd, Wong et al, but Joyce, whatever the Nats “leader” is called, Turnbull and whoever else.
G’day Matt,
Mate I’m concerned for you. You sound a little rattled by this article - what you have been skeptical of what you have been reading on Agmates. - You should know better than that Matt.
Talk about ABARE’s predicted oil prices. The GW alarmist over at the CSIRO was predicting just 5 weeks ago using their modeling that oil would go to over $600 a barrel.
Thats the same CSIRO that is setting our Climate Change policy based on their modeling.
I actually never said I don’t like the good folks over at Crikey, I just said they are Anti-farmer, Anti-Rural Australia. Thats understandable as their target market is urbanities.
What you think that the Skeptics have taken over ABARE - I think Von is starting to have an influence on you.
I find it really interesting that you don’t know the name of the Federal National party leader, who until last November was the Trade minister and Prior to that the Agriculture minister for many years. - that would be the low profile Warren Truss, but take a tip from me your guess at the leaders name being Joyce will be correct before the next election.
Hey I have a fantastic article you will ‘love’ published shortly -
You are a harsh man Steve
At least I was honest enough not to google him to get his name. It is a good reflection of the effectiveness of the Nats in that coalition that the only name I know is that of the guy who crosses the floor all the time
Would he not need a lower house seat to lead the party though?
We should all be skeptical of what we read Steve
EVEN and blogs as reputable as Agmates… ha ha.
As for Von - I honestly think that if AGW is shown to be a conspiracy (not just wrong), then her explanation is by far the most plausible of those I’ve heard.
It’s tough love Matt,
Actually I have asked that question because I thought the same as you - but I was told that was not the case - Bob Brown leads the Greens from the Senate and even if they did win a seat in the lower house that would not change.
I agree, we all should be skeptical of what we read - Just in the case of the economic costs to farmers of the ETS I loathe to say it BUT - Agmates was right.
Thats why Von is great she always has another angle for us to consider.
Von… Changing of the guard? ABARE have been anti AGW for decades.
Sadly, as Phillip Glyde points out: “regardless of whether or not agriculture was included in the ETS from 2010, the impacts on farming through the use of emission intensive inputs would be significant.”
“In the cropping sector, 39 per cent of the input costs to cropping came from emission-intensive inputs, while in livestock those costs were about 17 per cent.”
There you have it. Business-as-usual in these sectors is, like coal-fired electricity, ever-larger TV’s and air conditioners, international jet-setting and 4WD city commuting, simply not sustainable in a carbon-constrained economy.
None of these practices can be changed overnight but we must all begin the change NOW.
Informed denial of the need for greenhouse gas constraints demands committed research which, for the vast majority of scientists reinforces a conclusion that we must act urgently.
Inconvenience is no excuse for inaction. Very unpleasant changes will overtake mankind if every country waits for everybody else to move first.
Having the world’s highest rate of greenhouse gas emissions per person, Australians cannot justify special pleading, especially as the Garnaut plan would still place Australia well behind most European countries in achieved reductions.
It is disappointing that Dr.Glyde can only suggest:
“There’s only one solution to all of this, particularly while the rest of the world doesn’t introduce an ETS or have emissions trading schemes excluding agriculture - it is to continue down the path of productivity improvements.”
I hope he doesn’t mean business-as-usual with even greater dependence on “emission-intensive inputs”.
I believe we have already passed a number of signs saying “GO BACK, YOU ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY”
G’day Murray,
Not sure if you are a farmer or not. But from a farmers point of view let me remind you of the parable of the chicken and the pig.
Citizens who are not involve in the farming industry are the chicken and farmers are the pig.
As the sun rose one morning in the farm yard the Chicken and the Pig were having a chat. It was the farmers birthday and they wanted to do something nice for the farmer as he was really good to them.
CHICKEN: Lets do something really special for his birthday”
PIG: “Good idea, what do you have in mind?”
CHICKEN “I think we ought to make him breakfast in bed for his special day”
PIG: “Hey great idea, But what will we make him?
CHICKEN: “He loves Bacon and eggs, lets do that!”
PIG: Yeh not on your life. For you, that’s just a contribution. For me, it’s a total commitment.”
The farming sector has already contributed more than any other group in Australia to cutting our carbon emissions through the stopping of land clearing (at a cost of about $600m a year through lost production). Does the Australian public now expect them like the PIG in the story to make the total commitment?
Is that what it takes for us to cut our emissions - wiping our our entire rural industry?
That is what ABARE is forecasting will happen with an ETS in its current form.
You forgot the rest of the story Steve:
CHICKEN: I hate to break it to you piggy boy, but your future is in the frying pan whether you come quietly or get dragged their kicking and sqealing…
Sadly Matt,
That is exactly the attitude that most greenie have - get rid of every farmer in Australia. Let the third world grow all of our food so we can enjoy an absolute pristine environment - unpolluted by farmers. Oh I forgot - just don’t get our baby formula from China.
My comment was as much to show I understand your sentiment Steve rather than disagree with the feeling that Ag gets a rough end of the stick more often than not… A cunningly used phase to appeal to all sides.. should drum up a few more votes
I may have to give Brendon and Barnaby a call to ask them how they have changed the direction of their outdated parties - right ideas but tainted with conservatism…. (ie some old school nats and some old school greens).
The whole carbon trading scheme is absolute pure garbage , if adult Australians haven’t woken up to that fact yet then their silly egos must be huge thinking that we little people here in Australia can have any effect on the beautiful earth we are very lucky to live on -
It will go on doing what it likes for billions of years till the sun goes out with or without us. All we have to do is adapt and fit in with what great Mother Nature serves up.
Is listening to the best science has to offer, and making the required adjustments to our economy/habits, well is that not adapting and fitting in with what great mother nature serves up?
It seems to me that you rather think that we should not in fact adapt to what she serves up and instead ignore what she serves up and keep going business as usual.
Also - If we in Australia set up a nuclear weapons program, aimed them all at ourselves, and blew the country to smithereens, and had also made a whole heap more and blew everyone else to smithereens while were were at it… well I guess that is totally technologically within our reach and would have quite an effect on the beautiful earth that we are lucky to live on… so lets just shelve the idea that thinking humans could possibly change the planet is ego driven.
p.s. Von - have you enjoyed the continuing collapse of the global finance system this week
You know it is the only plausible reason I come across for a GW conspiracy… that all the govt income from carbon “tax” will go to prop up that ailing system… but I’m no economist…
Ah, haven’t commented for awhile, was starting to wonder if everyone was hellbent adding water to MD by clearing land, or all for farming with as much pollution as possible just to object to the proposed ETS…
Thanks to smiley-faces to point out to me that aussie satire is still alive and well out there. And must congratulate Von for an (almost guaranteed) stark questioning of the mainstream!
I’ve got a reading suggestion - Kim Stanley Robinson “Mars” trilogy.
Suggested by my high school physics teacher. HUGE read, but as much a hypothetical on us humans as sci-fi. Discusses concepts of trading Nitrogen instead of money.
Carbon trading? well, in theory, I like it, judging by news and posts here though, still looks like the proposed ETS is way off the mark.
I’m on the side that thinks the big end of town is just finding another way to keep themselves in business… unfortunate really when good ideas get hijacked.
Aust should be leading the way - but if what gets put in place just pushes more industry (including ag) offshore, we haven’t really led by example have we, just shifted ‘problems’ to a cheaper part of the world.
Wish I had an answer, instead of just a vague opinion… Well, in meantime, will go and find article on tooralie (?) sale to add comment..
G’day Shane,
Welcome back. If you have not found the Tooralie articles here is the links
Here
and
Here
Cheers Steve
I do hope that a few of your concerned farmers managed to catch the 7:30 report tonight highlighting how increasing prices for petroleum products (fertiliser etc) and pesticides was leading many farmers to an interest in biodynamic farming.
Freeing the small farmer form the grips of the multinationals like Monsanto…. sadly it was a bit sure - but especially to Von - going biodynamic would be the ultimate “finger” to the multinationals…
G’day Matt,
I didn’t actually - was just finishing off the piece about Kevin Rudd / James Hansen. I will watch it online later and come back to you.
I think biodynamic farmers are so cutting edge. I love they way they think.
Write more after I watch it. Thanks for the heads up mate.
Yep we’ll be doing our best to join them. The huge heap of feedlot manure we have will be going on in the near future. It should be fantastic.
WE ARE ON THE WAY BACK
It is incredible how different this year is compared to last year. This year we have very good crops , fat cows and calves. I couldn’t save a lot of calves last year.
While I was feeding I listened to the criminal garbage put out by the Howard bunch of neocons about the ‘war on terror’ They should be CHARGED with TREASON and war crimes.
I certainly didn’t have time for blogging last year but this year I will do my best to sabotage idiot corporate science and destructive polices put out by governments across the country.
WE HAVE NO DEMOCRACY - the Liberals, Labor and Greens all work for the same corporations, the IMF and the World Bank.
G’day Von,
‘better season than last year, very good crops, fat cows and calves’ - thank god for Climate Change
Yes the climate is fine and beautiful this year although I would like to see the Condamine in flood this summer. The climate is the least of our troubles -
MANY things do SMELL to high heaven such as the giant hoax ‘war on terror’ crime when it is our countries who are the terrorists, phony global warming and carbon trading garbage, free trade that isn’t, no difference in political parties, media that is in too few hands with a very pro - Israel bias, massive corruption in organizations such as the Australian Federal Police and ASIO -
AND THAT IS JUST FOR STARTERS.
Good morning Von,
Don’t get worked up about all those things this early in the day. Grab a coffee and go and sit in your garden and enjoy the ‘dare I say it’ beautiful QLD climate for a few minutes.
You know Australia is so vulnerable to climate change that ‘the world according to Kevin’ you won’t even be living out there soon because it will be so hot, droughted, with Malaria endemic and no water………
So enjoy the last few days you have left - and I’ll go and remove my tongue from my cheek.
Yes I like stating the flamin’ obvious before I go about the business of the day.
Some people find me over the top, overpowering , and too passionate about the state of the nation and the world but what the heck we live in unusual times and there are way too many lies going on.
LETS CALL A SPADE A SPADE and if people think I’m wrong about things I’d love to hear.
Von,
There are many things that you write that I don’t agree with, just as there are probably many things I write you don’t agree with.
But I respect that you make the effort to Have You Say! If only more rural & regional people did - we’d be a better country.
Participating in an Agmates forum on the issues of the day has got to be better for us and the nation than sitting down with a beer in front of the ‘boob tube’ watching ‘Dancing With The Stars’.
I did not think I would live long enough to find something ABARE said that I agreed with.
32 Degrees here today with hot wind. Another few days and all hope of a crop in central to southern western NSW will be over.
What will we do with the surplus farmers and the surplus farms. Perhaps Rudd and Wong can make one big National Park out here and put us on the payroll to look after it?
The problem is that it is like Iraq if it was not for the oil the world would not care, out here if you have not got water licenses they don’t care either.
The thing is they have to eat something. Rudd will have to import food from China grown with human fertiliser.