Australian Farmers push for climate change policies

Farmers and conservationists are pressuring federal politicans to make bigger commitments to policies dealing with climate change.

The Agricultural Alliance on Climate Change has commissioned a report by the CSIRO which says farmers could make three billion dollars a year from adopting more environmentally-friendly practices.

But Nigel Long, from the South Australian Farmers Federation, says it's up to governments to create the right conditions for farmers to make money from windfarms, carbon trading and environmental stewardship programs.

"It has to a national scheme, and on a bigger scale, it has to be be part of a global scheme", he says. "If we're going to tackle climate change, it has to be on a global scale, so whatever we implement here in Australia has to fit in with what is happening globally, and vice versa, for there to be any real serious attempt at trying to mitigate the impacts of our carbon emissions".