Farmers to march on Canberra to protest ETS

Little by little, drop by drop, the public seem to be ever so slowly waking up to the reality of the ETS. It's far too late of course - this should have been happening years ago - but the efficient spin machine of the Krudd government has made sure that the reality has not escaped into the public domain. Farmers are going to be one of the hardest hit industries under the new tax and they are not happy about it:

FARMERS are about to be "ambushed" by the Government's emissions trading scheme and it's time they marched on Canberra in protest, according to Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan.

Senator Heffernan believes farmers need to send a loud message to politicians and Australia's urban consumers that food security is under attack and the future of farming will not survive a tax on carbon.

Senator Heffernan, who is also a farmer from Junee in Southern NSW, told Rural Press this week that urgent action was needed to force the Government to make an immediate decision to exclude agriculture from an emissions trading scheme, but allow farmers to generate credits voluntarily.

He says various studies have proven that farmers will be forced to bear massive cost increases from the start of the scheme and from 2013 when a decision is made on the treatment of agriculture – regardless of whether the sector is included or not.
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"The farm sector is beginning to understand just how serious an emissions trading scheme is going to be.

"They need to be drumming this into the Government and urban consumers who take the availability of clean green food for granted and believe it will always be there in the supermarket.

"I know many farmers are mentally, physically and financially exhausted but this new tax will be the end of family farming, so I think it's time we march.

"This is something which will affect all farmers – not just wheat growers, not just dairy farmers, but everyone. No matter what you grow, you're going to face significantly higher costs."

Read it here. Note that this doesn't get any press in the other Fairfax media, such as The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald - it is relegated to the North Queensland Register...