On-Farm Emissions Action Plan Pilot
The On-Farm Emissions Action Plan Pilot is part of the Victorian Government’s commitment under the Agriculture Sector Emissions Reduction Pledge to provide practical information, tools and services to support farmers to understand and reduce emissions.
The Pilot will work with up to 250 farm businesses across the state to estimate their on-farm emissions profile and identify potential actions to manage and reduce emissions while maintaining productivity and profitability. Participants will then be eligible for grant funding to co-fund recommended actions from a total pool of up to $5 million.
The three-year Pilot is being delivered over nine rounds covering Victoria’s key agricultural industries.
Agriculture Victoria will work with a select number of producers interested in understanding and reducing their emissions and willing to help other farmers by sharing their learnings from the Pilot. On-farm emissions assessments and action plans will be delivered in collaboration with industry partners.
To support industry partners, Agriculture Victoria has started a ‘Community of Practice’ for farm advisors to build capability across the sector and improve the emissions reduction advice being provided to Victorian farmers.
Agriculture Victoria will share information, insights and lessons from the Pilot including case studies that will be published as they become available.
For more information email: actionplanpilot@agriculture.vic.gov.au.
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Visit Climate Webinars to learn more or subscribe to be notified when new webinars are available.
Frequently asked questions
The Pilot is a three-year initiative to support up to 250 Victorian farmers and growers to estimate and understand their on-farm emissions profile, develop an emissions reduction action plan, and apply for a grant to implement recommended actions from a pool of up to $5 million. The Pilot is a key initiative under Victoria’s first Agriculture Sector Emissions Reduction Pledge.
A key objective of the Pilot is to develop a variety of farm emissions case studies to maximise insights across industries, commodities, farm sizes and geographic regions.
The Pilot will focus on action at the farm business level and build the emissions understanding and capability of participating farmers, growers, and the broader agriculture sector including the advisory sector. The Pilot will focus on the options available for farm businesses to implement actions and is also an opportunity to explore and share the impacts of a variety of actions in diverse farming environments.
Participants will be provided with a report that estimates their farm emissions profile and an On-Farm Emissions Action Plan with suggested options on how to measure, manage and reduce their farm emissions profile.
Participants can then apply for a grant to implement recommended actions. For further information, please refer to the grants section.
To register interest email: actionplanpilot@agriculture.vic.gov.au
You can also register your interest to receive regular updates and newsletters about the Pilot, including key dates and updates on the wider Agriculture Sector Pledge Program.
Agriculture Victoria will work with key industry partners to identify potential participants and an expression of interest form will need to be submitted.
An independent panel will assess and select a diverse group of participants for each round.
If selected to participate in the Pilot, participants must agree to:
- consider implementing a recommended action to reduce on-farm emissions
- share relevant data and knowledge with Agriculture Victoria during the Pilot
- cooperate in the promotion of the Pilot, which may involve using your name in publications
- provide information and data to be used as Pilot case studies and education material
- host or contribute to Pilot demonstration events
- provide data and information for planned evaluation activities, during and at the completion of the Pilot.
The Pilot is split into a series of rounds focused on a different commodity or combined commodity grouping. The rounds will be delivered between July 2022 and April 2025. Dates have been selected to maximise the ability of each commodity group to participate based on feasibility, readiness, and seasonality.
The expected timetable will be updated each round as timelines are determined.
Commodity | Timelines for Expressions of Interest | Timelines for emissions assessments and action plan development |
|---|---|---|
Beef | Closed | Winter/Spring 2022 |
Dairy | Closed | Spring/Summer 2022–2023 |
Sheep | Closed | Summer/Autumn 2023 |
Grains and broadacre cropping | Closed | Winter/Spring 2023 |
Pigs/Poultry | TBC | Spring/Summer 2023 |
Dairy/Beef/Sheep | TBC | Summer 2023–2024 |
Horticulture | TBC | Summer/Autumn 2024 |
All commodities | TBC | From July 2024 to April 2025 |
Yes, you are still eligible to participate in the Pilot.
No. Only one farm can be involved in the Pilot.
A farm emissions specialist will work with each participant to interpret emissions and carbon data and discuss potential actions specific to each farm. Farm businesses will need to ensure they have the time to work with the specialist and are able to provide the required farm data.
There are a range of emissions and carbon calculators that are used across agriculture industries which are at various levels of development. Agriculture Victoria has reviewed these tools and will use the most up-to-date and appropriate for each sector.
No. Agriculture Victoria will not collect data from farms beyond the period of the Pilot.
The Community of Practice is made up of farm advisors interested in working with Agriculture Victoria to improve emissions advice for Victorian farmers.
For more information email actionplanpilot@agriculture.vic.gov.au
Participants who have completed a personalised On-Farm Emissions Action Plan will be eligible to apply for two types of grants:
- (i) Action Plan grants (from a total pool of $4 million) and
- (ii) Innovation Fund grants (from a total pool of $1 million).
The Pilot Program Guidelines explain the eligibility criteria, considerations, and process for participants to apply for grant funding:
An Action Plan grant will support participants to implement recommended emission reduction actions from their personalised On-Farm Emissions Action Plan.
The Action Plan grants aim to support the majority of participants and are available for up to $16,000. These grants require a minimum of $1 (participant:government) cash co-contribution.
The table below explains the variety of actions that may be considered for grant funding.
Category | Example |
|---|---|
Capital works | Construction and structural improvements |
Engaging services | Consultant for on-farm testing, advice, design or plan; participation in training |
Demonstration project | On-farm demonstration/trial of a technology or farm practice |
Plantings | Conversion of annual to perennial; shelterbelts; farm forestry (on a case-by-case basis and only if ineligible for funding under other government programs) |
Energy | Actions that reduce emissions (on a case-by-case basis and only if ineligible for funding under other government programs) |
The Innovation Fund is aimed at trialling or demonstrating innovative ideas or emerging technologies that offer significant potential to reduce emissions on Victorian farms, for example trialling or demonstrating new effluent management techniques to reduce on-farm emissions.
Participants will be able to apply for the Innovation Fund through two competitive funding rounds in late 2023 and 2024.
Innovation Fund grants will be available for up to $100,000 each from a total pool of $1 million, and will require a minimum of $2 (participant:government) cash co-contribution.