The Queensland Farmers' Federation is bucking the accepted wisdom and questioning the view that emissions trading is the best way to reduce carbon emissions in the farming sector.
It wants the Federal Government to consider more cost effective alternatives, such as accelerated uptake of best management practices.
In its submission to the Federal Government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Green Paper, QFF has warned that full application of emissions trading would increase the cost of food, hurt low-income earners, make Australian agriculture less competitive in world markets and impair the nation's ability to contribute to the looming global food security crisis.
QFF chief executive officer, John Cherry, said farmers were frustrated because many of the positive things that farmers could do to reduce their carbon footprint, such as improved soils management, were not counted under the current Kyoto protocol carbon accounting rules.
"While the rest of the world refuses to budge on reform of the carbon accounting rules on farming that so clearly disadvantage Australian farming, Australia needs to ask why it should be the first country to impose full coverage of its agricultural sectors in an emissions trading regime," Mr Cherry said.
"Queensland’s rural industry will also face the largest adaptation cost of almost any other sector, with significant impacts on farm productivity growth as the climate gets hotter, drier and less predictable.
"Government must take adaptation costs into account before imposing mitigation costs."
Mr Cherry said that where possible, the Government should encourage investment in practices which serve both a mitigation and an adaptation objective.
"This can best be achieved by the identification and promotion of good farming practices that reduce emissions and improve farm resilience and productivity," he said.
"Win-win policy outcomes could include promotion of better nitrous fertiliser application rates, reduced and zero tillage, energy efficiency, improving soil carbon levels and improving feed conversion rates in animals.
"Such practices could significantly reduce the carbon footprint of farming without the price and compliance cost impost associated with the CPRS."