Agriculture is a vital industry that should not lose out when it comes reaching net zero, according to Pastoralist and Graziers Association of WA president Tony Seabrook. Mr Seabrook, who is also a York farmer, presented at the University of WA’s 18th annual Institute of Agriculture industry forum: Can Agriculture Reach Net Zero?, which was held at UWA’s Crawley campus on July 17. The seminar heard from a series of industry expects such as Soil CRC chief executive for high-performance soils Michael Crawford and Regional Development chief economist Ross Kingwell, who spoke about the Australian agriculture industry’s chances of reaching net zero emissions.
Planfarm agronomy consultant Rob Grima also facilitated a panel discussion with 2023 Nuffield scholar Rebecca Kelly, farm business adviser Richard Brake, pastoralist Debbie Dowden and InterEarth business development manager Peter Metcalfe. While there was a lot of optimism regarding a carbon-neutral future, Mr Seabrook said it was important to remember that achieving net zero should not come at a cost to agriculture. “Consider that whether it be a sheep eating grass, growing wool and producing a lamb, or a beast eating grass and producing milk .
.. they are converting something inedible to humans into a product desirable, beneficial, natural and in great demand worldwide,” he said.
“Agriculture is not a wasteful industry, nor is it a highly profitable one. It is lean, smart, innovative and highly efficient, and can.