Mr. Tim Cullinan:

I absolutely agree with the Senator. We are all striving to reach our targets and the agriculture sector overall is doing very well. We have already reduced emissions from the livestock sector with up to 19% out of the 25% to date, which is an excellent story. The Senator is right that we need to stride to do more. The amount of land involved in horticulture is obviously smaller. In the larger scheme of things, it probably will not have a huge impact. However, I agree that anything that will reduce the level of emissions is very important. Obviously, the first thing here is education. We need to educate consumers about what they are buying to ensure they buy the adequate amount and use it. It is similar with the food service sector.

We spoke earlier about wonky fruit and vegetables. It is important that people understand that the less processing those products undergo the better. There are also more health benefits. In any product more processing reduces the nutrients compared with the product as it came out of the ground.

I absolutely agree with the Senator. I think it would be very important. Going back again to retailers and the arrangement there, I have seen situations in the past where primary producers came to us trying to get a price increase, in particular over the past few years. We have seen massive inflation in the cost of production. Going back to retailers, there is a huge worry that if the primary producer exerts pressure on the retailer, they will be left with the crop and the crop could end up being left in the ground. From that point of view, there is a role for the primary producer and others in reducing the 7% of greenhouse gases at farm level. The whole approach involves everybody in the supply chain here ensuring there are proper contracts with farmers and looking to the future. Rather than just dropping dead at the end of the year, there must be a plan for the following year as well.