Farmers want special deal on carbon emissions

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Farmers want a special deal in global climate negotiations to make sure they are not saddled with excessive costs for curbing Greenhouse gas emissions, the head of the world's leading farming lobby said on Tuesday.

Agriculture is responsible for up to 20 percent of global Greenhouse gas emissions, blamed for global warming, but farmers were limited in how much they could cut emissions, International Federation of Agricultural Producers president Ajay Vashee said.

Vashee, who's organization represents 600 million farmers and 115 farmer organizations in 82 countries, cautioned against imposing financial penalties on food production in order to cut Greenhouse emissions.

"There is a certain threshold beyond which we cannot go below. It is important to realize the realities of the situation," Vashee told Australia's National Press Club in Canberra.

Environment ministers will meet in Copenhagen in late 2009 to start negotiations on a global agreement to curb Greenhouse gas emissions, to replace the Kyoto Protocol agreement which ends in 2012.

In Australia, farming accounts for about 16 percent of carbon emissions, but the government has said agriculture will have a five-year exemption from its carbon trade regime, due to start in July 2010.

Vashee, from Zambia, said while farmers should not be exempt from any measures to curb emissions, governments needed to recognize their role in growing essential food, and reward farmers who have protected landscape and wildlife habitats.

"Carbon markets need to be appropriately designed so that farmers can effectively engage to be part of the solution," he said, adding there were limits to what farmers could do to curb emissions.

In Australia, for example, 70 percent of agricultural emissions and 11 percent of Australia's total emissions, come from the burping, flatulence and manure of sheep and cattle.

Vashee also urged trade ministers to resume the World Trade Organization's Doha round of trade negotiations, saying his organization was a strong supporter of simpler, international rules for agricultural trade.

"We need multi-lateral rules for managing global trade, not the spaghetti of bilateral agreements that is making trade increasingly complicated," Vashee said.

"We need a trade agreement that gives space for farmers to contribute to national food security in their country, and space for farmers to be able to organize in the market and to manage risk."

(Editing by David Fox)