Climate challenges facing the grazing industries, by Professor Richard Eckard

Climate change is already challenging the agricultural industries globally and, in particular, in Australia. The livestock industries are at the forefront of this challenge as it has implications for both animal welfare and greenhouse gas emissions.

The last 20 years have seen clear increases in temperature, increased frequency of extreme weather events, more variable rainfall and a general southward movement of rainfall zones, impacting livestock through heat stress and changes in pasture growth patterns.

The policy implications of climate change will also challenge the livestock industries. The Financial Times reported recently that, of the 100 largest economies in the world, 69 are companies not countries.

While politicians around the world are failing to show clear leadership on climate change, these multinational companies are managing their investment risk by setting targets for carbon neutrality by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement; this is likely to have a far bigger impact on the grazing industries than government policy.

These effects have started cascading down to the farm level. For example, Unilever has set a target of reducing the greenhouse gas impact of its products by 50 per cent by 2030, compared with baseline of 2010. In turn, Fonterra has set a goal of climate-neutral growth to 2030 for pre-farmgate emissions from a 2015 base year thus impacting dairy farmers. We have also seen Meat and Livestock Australia set a goal for carbon neutral red-meat production by 2030, in tandem with the Carbon Neutral Brazilian Beef branding.

In this Dean's Research Seminar, Professor Eckard will discuss these emerging challenges for the grazing industries in a changing climate.

The Dean’s Research Seminars aim to showcase to a non-specialist audience the breadth, aims, importance and impact of research being undertaken across the Faculty. They are open, and should be of interest, to all staff and students.

Professor Richard Eckard

Richard Eckard is Professor of Livestock Production Systems and Director of the Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre in the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences. His research focuses on sustainable livestock production, nitrogen cycling and loss in grazing systems, with a recent focus on carbon farming and options for agriculture to respond to a changing climate. He is a science advisor to the Australian, New Zealand and United Kingdom governments, and the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation, on climate change adaptation, mitigation and carbon policy development in agriculture.

Professor Eckard leads a network within the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gasses and a member of the Greenhouse Gas and Animal Agriculture international science committee. He has published over 145 peer reviewed papers, with 80 peer-reviewed papers, seven book chapters, and 80 conference papers on climate change, carbon farming and agriculture since 2010.

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