A MAJOR funding injection for agricultural research over the next four years underpins the Opposition's "real action plan" for Australia's farm sector, being unveiled today.
The Opposition's $270 million, four-year package of new funding commitments for the agriculture portfolio will also include new measures to more accurately map agriculture's carbon footprint, along with incentives to plant saltbush and Mallee crops in marginal outback country that will double as a fodder and carbon sink options.
The Coalition is funding these new measures through savings made across all portfolios in what it describes as "poorly performing Labor Government programs", while the agriculture portfolio has been spared any cuts.
Opposition spokesman for agriculture, John Cobb, said the policy paper represented no cuts to the agricultural portfolio in either its budget or programs, with all existing programs still on the table along along with these new commitments.
The Federal Government is still to release its policy commitments for agriculture should it win the election, although it did reveal this week that it would develop a national food plan in its next term of Government.
Eight special focus areas have been indentified in the Coalition's agricultural policy document.
Top of the list is a $150 million, three-year promise to increase the Commonwealth's contribution to rural research and development from a matching dollar for every dollar paid by industry levies to $1.25 for the 15 rural research and development corporations.
Grants of up to $100,000 will also be available for farmers to undertake water-saving work for stock and domestic and grazing practices, such as new troughs or pipes or improved grazing management to protect water resources.
There will also be funding for upgrading pumps to solar power.
A further $100,000 per farm will be available to farmers in marginal farming zones to plant saltbush or Mallee crops to rejuvenate eroded lands, provide new fodder opportunities during droughts, but also act as a carbon sink.
The Coalition will commit $8 million over four years to get an accurate picture of Australia's agricultural carbon footprint so Australian farming can "prove its reputation as a supplier of clean, green products" and not be discriminated against in world markets where food miles has become a major trade distortion.
"Food miles" are being used by major supermarkets, especially in Europe, to measure the travelling distance and emissions of food taken to the selling point, but can be deceiving because often the Australian produce may be cleaner and greener than the product grown closer to home.
Other smaller initiatives include the already flagged green-tape audit to identify costly environmental regulation which is either duplicated or getting in the way of food production; and research and study grants totalling $5m over four years to help attract and retain scientists and researchers for Australian agricultural research.
A feral animal and pest control program, worth $20m over four years, is also part of the new package to help make a dent in what the Coalition says is a $740 million a year cost to Australian agriculture.
A $15m "flying squad" will also be established to bulk up quarantine services when an urgent biosecurity risk is identified.
The promised programs are a modest increase each year in the agricultural portfolio which the Coalition says it will fund from the more than $24 billion in recurrent savings it believes it can make over the four-year forward estimates.
The policy paper says the savings are a result of "cutting Labor's waste and mismanagement and redirecting funding from inefficient and poorly performing Labor Government programs".
The Greens have criticised the policy for ignoring climate change, but said the increased spending on research and biosecurity was welcome.
“The Greens have taken a very strong stance on biosecurity and quarantine and we agree with the Coalition that this area, left to flounder under Labor, needs focus and funding," Greens deputy leader Christine Milne said.
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