In Australia, agriculture covers more than half our land and is responsible for around 13 per cent of carbon emissions. Food production is also a significant cause of biodiversity loss. Restoring and strengthening ecological systems will help to protect biodiversity, prevent erosion, and enable food producers and consumers to determine what food they produce and eat, and how.
The latest Great Barrier Reef Scientific Consensus Statement confirms that land management practices in Reef catchments continue to degrade water quality and exacerbate climate impacts. The statement calls for more investment in research and monitoring, and collaborating with farmers and First Nations owners on locally-effective solutions
ACF released The Future of Food, assessing how 20 of Australia’s largest food companies manage their impacts on nature. In response to a campaign for major supermarkets to stop purchasing beef from farmers engaged in unlawful land clearing, Woolworths has committed to only stock ‘deforestation-free’ beef from 2025
The NSW Local Land Services is seeking feedback from land managers on how data is collected, used and presented on issues like biosecurity, cultural heritage protections, native vegetation and species management.
The ANAO released its review of the National Soil Strategy, finding the design and implementation of the strategy has not been effective and recommending clear implementation and monitoring plans for the National Soil Action Plan
The Federal government released the National Biosecurity Strategy and is consulting on development of a National Action Plan to implement the Strategy. Consultation has been done on biosecurity culture and partnerships, and is ongoing for workforce development, risk management, sustainable investment and R&D
The water trigger in the EPBC Act (which requires large fossil fuel projects impacting on water resources to seek federal environmental approval) was expanded to include all unconventional gas (not just CSG). This will increase the level of assessment for many gas projects on farming land.
The Queensland govt is proposing to remove requirements for CSG projects to assess subsidence risks, a move strongly opposed by farmers