Isramart : Abbott checks out carbon farming

Isramart news:
The Coalition is stepping up its focus on soil carbon as a key way to reduce Australia's emisisons, with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott visiting biological farmers in New South Wales today.

Mr Abbott will release his climate policy before Parliament returns next week, and while it won't include a carbon tax, it's expected to focus on soil carbon and tree planting as key ways to reduce Australia's emissions.

Farmer Cam McKeller, from Spring Ridge on the Liverpool Plains, says he hopes today's visit will show Mr Abbott the environmental benefits of increasing carbon in the soil.

He says there's also the potential to trade his soil carbon further down the track.

"The thing I really don't want is a tax on our other inputs, because I think we definitely can put more carbon in our soils than we use in our farming operations," he says.

"EU farmers get paid for doing what we do naturally, and building soil carbon is about building agriculture for the future.

"If we can get paid for that on the way past for environmental reasons, I think that's a good wicket to be on."

Earlier today, during his visit to Tamworth in the seat of New England, Mr Abbott vowed to give local Independent member Tony Windsor a "good contest" at the next election.

Mr Abbott told reporters that he'd be backing a strong Liberal candidate to win the seat, which has been held by Mr Windsor for more than eight years.

Before Mr Windsor's election in 2001, the seat of New England had been safely held by the National/Country Party since 1919.

Mr Abbott says the Coalition will be going into this year's Federal election as the underdog, but "anything is possible".