The Association has been
very active in the Carbon Farming Initiative since its inception. It has been a
strong voice for farmers in the consultation process associated with the
passing into law of the Carbon Farming Initiative (Carbon Credits) Act 2011 and
has since been involved in commenting on regulations. Since the Act was passed,
the Association has provided a focus for the emerging industry and built
bridges between stakeholder groups, including farmers, scientists, brokers,
advisers, and policy makers.
We have engaged with the
CFI at every level so we can give first hand advice to members:
• Developing a CFI methodology for sequestering carbon in soil
• Awarded an Australian Financial Services Licence (to be able to
give advice about Australian Carbon Credit Units)
• Achieved Recognised Offsets Entity (ROE) status (qualified to
manage a CFI project)
• Awarded an ANREU account – Australian National Register of
Emissions Units – a facility for receiving CFI credits
• Applied for Eligible Offsets Project with a small native species
planting (to learn the process of executing a CFI Methodology.)
• Assisted a business to achieve carbon neutral status, to help
create a market for soil carbon offsets.
• Assisting a farmer investigate a Methodology to enable users of
a ‘4th Generation” biochar-based natural fertiliser to earn offset
credits for soil carbon sequestration and reduced nitrous oxide.
We have been getting to
know marketplace operators we can trust to provide trading and related services
to members, including lawyers, brokers, project originators, advisors and accountants.
We are members of the Carbon Market Institute and it’s Methodology Project
Developers Group.
We are termed ‘key
stakeholders’ by the then Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency,
the now Department of the Environment, and submit contributions to relevant
consultation papers. (We meet with officials of the Department at least 4 times
a year.)
We respond to a constant
stream of requests for information, by email and telephone.
We have a schedule of
improve-ments to the CFI that we are addressing. In the first instance, we are
lobbying the relevant federal politicians for a flexible approach to the 100
Years Rule. We see this as the make or break issue.
We are aware that the
‘official’ version of the ‘potential’ of soil carbon sequestration (always much
smaller than the farmer reality) has gained prominence in the debate, due to a
continual stream of mistaken reports in the press.
We have identified a list
of “high performance” soil carbon managers who have demonstrated a potential
well beyond the mean identified by CSIRO, by an order of 10. These ‘outliers’ –
routinely discarded and rightly so in most studies, but not in this case - present a challenge for the scientists and
policy makers. If these outliers can do it, it can be done.
Meanwhile we are engaged as members of the
Soil Carbon Reference Group, giving advice to the Department as it completes
the Soil Carbon Methodology. We also serve on the Biochar Reference Group.
Shortly the Bill to establish the new CFI – the Emissions Reduction Fund
– will enter the arena of Parliament. We will be lobbying to address the access
issues (100 Years, a barrier to farmer involvement) and the farmgate price (an
incentive).
We aim to see soil carbon and other farm-based
offsets traded safely and ethically, and growers paid fairly for the carbon
they “grow”. The Association also includes in its vision offsets arising from
all other forms of on-farm carbon sequestration as well as all forms of
agricultural emissions reduction.
Call Louisa on 02 6374 0329
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