The state's peak agricultural body has welcomed moves from the NSW Government to work with farmers in a lower carbon economy.
While previous carbon reduction policies from state and federal governments saw farmers unfairly impacted, the $125 million Primary Industries Productivity and Abatement Program (PIPAP) will make farmers key participants in a lower carbon economy.
With farmers managing more than 80 per cent of the state's land mass, and with agriculture being an economic and social pillar of regional communities, NSW Farmers Conservation and Resource Management Chair Bronwyn Petrie said it was critical that the sector was empowered in its pursuit of lower emissions.
"Productivity is key to farm viability, and land owners and managers need workable solutions to minimise their carbon footprint," Mrs Petrie said.
"Central to this is having an open partnership model between farmers and government, and enabling farmers to feed into carbon minimisation strategies and measures that don't compromise productivity.
"There's also an opportunity for farmers to generate new revenue streams with emerging carbon markets, and one of the intended purposes of PIPAP is to promote these opportunities."
Mrs Petrie said farmers had historically faced punitive and excessive regulation around the management of private agricultural land, but PIPAP presented a new opportunity to improve green tape for the betterment of both the environment and farm innovation.
"Agricultural land has many modern demands, and a focus on regional planning is essential to getting the right balance," she said.
"We anticipate the government's next steps following the announcement of PIPAP.
"We hope this is the beginning of an era of partnership and empowerment between farmers and government."
