Farmers want climate action

Shepparton News
Wednesday 13/6/2007 Page: 6

If climate change gets much worse, the Katandra North region will be "pretty much desert", predicts Katandra North farmer Eric Anderson.

Mr Anderson and his mate Ed Mulgrew agree climate change is a reality and wonder why the Federal Government is not doing more to solve the problem. "We've got climate change, we're going to have reduced water reliability and at that stage this area becomes what it was 100 years ago," Mr Mulgrew said. "I think what we're going to have to look at is farming with less water and different methods of producing our milk, meat and vegies and it probably means spending a lot of money. " Mr Mulgrew, 67, and his wife Judy milk 150 cows in Katandra North, but can only foresee farming for two more years.

Mr Anderson, 58, left dairy farming in the 2002-03 drought and now farms beef and walnuts. They believe there needs to be major investment in solar and wind energy and support the use of nuclear power as a last resort. "We've got this wealth from the mining industry, but we're not using that money to invest in our future," Mr Anderson said.

Mr Mulgrew proposed reforestation as a solution to help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Environmental Farmers Network chairman John Pettigrew said an increasing number of farmers had switched on to climate change. "Farmers have been considering it for quite a few years and they certainly have been taking it into account," Mr Pettigrew said. He said farmers and the community could bring about change at a government level. "If the community wants change, eventually it will happen," Mr Pettigrew said.