Farmers for Climate Action has cautiously welcomed news that stakeholders will be able to submit new carbon absorption and reduction methods, and reiterated that integrity is key to any carbon methodology.
Carbon credits created in the agriculture and land sector generally involve absorbing carbon, typically in plantings of native species but also through soils, or by reducing carbon output of other farm practices, for example by burning methane from piggeries. The carbon credit can then be sold to the government at an auction or to private companies.
Carbon credits must be real and additional - the carbon being absorbed must be additional to what would have occurred under a business-as-usual scenario.
Farmers for Climate Action Community Outreach Officer, Peter Holding, said FCA's 8200 farmer members had made clear that integrity was the key issue for them.
"Having stakeholders including farmers suggest carbon credit methods can be a good move, so long as the carbon reduction is real," Mr Holding said.
"We must remember the best way to reduce carbon pollution is at the source, and our key aim must be for polluters to reduce their pollution, not continue to pollute whilst paying for carbon credits.
"Taking the politics out of the process is a good move. Having farmers and stakeholders submit suggested carbon methods is much better than the Minister of the day choosing which methods would be assessed.
"We stress that any methods approved must be real - every carbon credit must represent a tonne of carbon removed from the atmosphere. A dodgy methodology can put farmers one media exposé away from a carbon market crash - and then farmers who have invested in carbon projects could lose their entire investment. Each suggested new carbon method must be considered in the knowledge that approval of one dodgy method could cost farming families part of their livelihood.
"This is the first step in implementing the recommendations of the Chubb Review, and we urge the government to continue implementing all recommendations to strengthen the integrity of the carbon credit market."
