ADIC Submission: Potential Regulatory Options for Agricultural Emissions Inhibitor Products in Australia

The Australian dairy industry recognises that methane-reducing technologies may become an important option alongside profitability, productivity improvements, genetics, feed management, pasture management and renewable energy, to help the dairy industry meet growing emissions reduction expectations from supply chains, financiers, customers and government.

These products are a potentially valuable tool, but not a blank cheque. Whether they are adopted at all will depend on whether they prove practical in Australia’s pasture-based systems and make commercial sense for farmers. But whether they can be adopted with confidence depends on something prior: independent statutory assurance of animal safety, food safety, residue control, verified efficacy and ongoing post-market monitoring.

That assurance must come from government, not industry. Adoption ultimately rests on public confidence. Recent public reactions to methane inhibitors showed that confidence, that products are safe, effective and properly monitored, can only be credibly provided by independent government regulation, not industry self-assurance.

The Australian Dairy Industry Council’s (ADIC) submission to the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) Discussion Paper on the Potential Regulatory Options for Agricultural Emissions Inhibitor Products in Australia, supports a nationally consistent regulatory framework that enables industry to adopt approved technologies with confidence.

Read our submission.