GrainGrowers welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Energy crops and the Product Guarantee of Origin scheme position paper.
GrainGrowers is a national organisation working to enhance the profitability and sustainability of Australian grain growers. GrainGrowers achieves this through focus areas of policy and advocacy, grower engagement, thought leadership and active investment in future focused activities for all growers. Australian growers are at the heart of all that GrainGrowers does and the focus of its work.
The Australian grain industry is poised to play a crucial role in the development of low-carbon liquid fuels, leveraging its expertise in grain and oilseed production to contribute to a more sustainable energy landscape. By harnessing Australia's abundant feedstock resources and fostering a domestic low carbon liquid fuel industry, we can advance our national efforts in decarbonising critical industries, improving fuel security, and supporting domestic manufacturing and economic growth in regional areas.
GrainGrowers has provided detailed comments at Appendix 1. In summary, GrainGrowers supports the Department's proposals that enable the participation of Australian growers in the Product Guarantee of Origin (PGO) scheme. Providing default emissions factors for domestically grown energy crops and allowing supplier-specific reporting are essential steps to minimise administrative burdens and encourage broad engagement from the agricultural sector, while recognising Australian growers’ world-leading production of low emissions grain.
GrainGrowers also recommends the Department consider how prioritisation criteria will avoid perverse outcomes such as inadvertently prioritising international feedstocks, and how the PGO aligns with the National Bioenergy Feedstock Strategy. It will also be essential to consider grower capacity building to ensure growers are equipped to confidently participate in the scheme.
GrainGrowers looks forward to working with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water on this topic.
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