Business and industry

Emissions Reduction and Resilience Plans

The Tasmanian Government is developing sector-based Emissions Reduction and Resilience Plans, in consultation with business, industry and the community. The Plans will be specific to Tasmania, and consider how government can support emissions reductions and build resilience to climate-related risks.

Learn more about Emissions Reduction and Resilience Plans

Reducing the carbon footprint of Tasmanian dairying

DairyTas is identifying ways to reduce the carbon footprint of dairying in Tasmania. DairyTas were successful in receiving grant funding from our Climate Research Grants Program in 2020-21. They have published ‘The 10 Steps’, a series of “10 fast facts and farm actions”. They have also published a case study of solar on Tasmanian dairy farms.

Visit the DairyTas website to learn more about The 10 Steps.

Enterprise suitability mapping and climate projections

Enterprise suitability maps help farmers match local soil and climate information with the right crops for those conditions.

Enterprise suitability maps combine digital soil mapping, localised climate data and crop rules. The maps help farmers or investors to prepare a shortlist of potential crops or enterprises for further investigation. The mapping process also identifies the likely risks or barriers to growing the crops.

The Tasmanian Government delivered a project to incorporate Climate Futures for Tasmania fine-scale climate projections with enterprise suitability modelling. The project shows how agricultural commodities, such as vegetables, cereals and pharmaceuticals, could be productively grown in the future under different climate scenarios. This information will support agricultural decision making in Tasmania.

The project found that areas of Tasmania are likely to become more or less suitable for cropping in response to changes in climate, particularly in relation to frost risk and growing degree days. (Growing degree days are a measure for assessing crop development.)

Key findings

• Frost risk is expected to become generally less severe for all of the original five crops investigated.
• The areas most likely to experience less severe frosts include the upper Derwent Valley and lower highland areas, as well as parts of the Midlands Region.
• Table wine grape production is expected to benefit from increased growing degree days during the growing season.
• Sparkling wine grape production may be adversely affected, particularly for areas on the East Coast and in the Midlands. This is based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) higher emission scenario at year 2050.
• Heat risk for potatoes is also expected to increase in probability. This will result in a small decrease in suitable land for potatoes around the coastal and Midland areas of the state. However, the decrease in frost-prone areas means that there will be an overall increase in land suitable for growing potatoes.

Since the project commenced in 2014-15, new Enterprise Suitability Map layers have been published for additional crop species, digital soil maps layers have been made available, and there are now over 200 individual downscaled climate grids available.

An updated set of fine-scale climate projections for Tasmania will be developed as part of the next climate change action plan. How these new climate projections might be incorporated with enterprise suitability modelling will be considered as this work progresses.

Visit the Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania website for more information about the Enterprise Suitability Toolkit.

Fert$mart

Since 2014, the Tasmanian Government has supported DairyTas to implement Fert$mart across Tasmanian dairy farms.

Fert$mart is a Dairy Australia program designed to assist dairy farmers to improve the effectiveness of fertiliser use and irrigation practices, and to improve water quality and soil health.

The program uses the best available science to undertake soil and effluent testing, farm and nutrient mapping and nutrient budgeting. The result is the development of tailored Fert$mart plans that assist farmers to achieve production goals and maximise the efficiency of fertiliser use.

Fert$mart has been highly successful and approximately 50 per cent of Tasmanian dairy farms (217) now have Fert$mart plans in place.

The Tasmanian Government provided financial assistance to farmers to implement the effluent management component of their Fert$mart plans.

In 2017, this funding provided the momentum for practical on-farm infrastructure works totalling $112,000. The work undertaken has resulted in an additional 339 hectares of pasture being irrigated with effluent, which provides financial savings for farmers, improved water quality and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

The success of Fert$mart was recognised at the December 2017 Landcare Tasmania Awards, with the program winning the ‘Excellence in Sustainable Farm Practices’ category.

Fert$mart resources are available on the DairyTas website, including information on making the best use of nutrients from fertiliser and effluent. The Fert$mart case study video ‘Dairy cares for Derwent’ is available to watch on the DairyTas YouTube channel.

Fert$mart forms part of the Tasmanian Government's broader commitment to work with agricultural producers to improve energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate.

Preparing your business for natural disasters

Disasters have the potential to significantly disrupt your business activities and cause financial setbacks. However, the impacts of disasters and disruptions can be managed by advance preparation.

The Tasmanian Government has worked closely with a broad range of stakeholders to develop a collection of resources to help Tasmanian businesses prepare for, respond to, and recover from, natural disasters such as bushfires and floods. The resources, including a Business Continuity Plan template, factsheets and checklists, are available on the Business Tasmania website.