AGRICULTURE
Western Australia’s rural communities and farmers are the foundation of our state’s food security, and major contributors to our economy and cultural identity. They are on the front line of climate change, and threats by soil and water degradation, incompatible land use, damaging industrialised practices and diminished rural communities.
AIMS
The Greens (WA) want:
● a climate-resilient agricultural sector that leads in emissions reduction and drawdown (see also The Greens (WA) Climate Change policy)
● strengthening of biosecurity, and improvement of soil health and water security across agricultural landscapes (see also The Greens (WA) Water and Genetic Modification policies)
● resilient, well-serviced and economically viable rural communities which keep farmers on the land and provide a future for young people in agriculture (see also The Greens (WA) Regions policy)
● protection of prime agricultural land from encroachment by incompatible uses
● a rapid transition to more localised, regenerative and sustainable agriculture practices, with associated local value-adding processing opportunities (see also The Greens (WA) Animals policy)
MEASURES
The Greens (WA) will initiate and support legislation and actions that:
Climate
● promote a greater understanding of, and messaging about, the impact of climate change on agricultural and horticultural food productions
● support farmers and rural communities with the financial burden of mitigating and adapting to climate change
● support incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase greenhouse gas drawdown through measures including, but not limited to, regenerative farming, increasing carbon in the soil, farm forestry, changes to burning practices, and extensive electrification and the use of other alternatives to fossil fuels
Biosecurity, Soil And Water
● encourage regenerative agricultural practices that maximise nutrient recycling, water use efficiency and soil health, such as organic, biodynamic and conservation agriculture
● ensure resourcing of biosecurity, pest, weed and disease control measures, to protect Western Australia’s agriculture, natural systems and population
● seek to ensure effective regulation of genetically-modified (GM) crops to prevent any adverse impacts on non-GM producers and consumers, including ensuring legal liability of GM crop producers
● support the growing of salt-tolerant crops, pastures and other perennial systems to provide farming options for saline lands
● improve the quality and allocation of water resources within agricultural systems
Rural Communities
● provide stronger regulation of foreign ownership of agricultural land
● prevent deregulation that negatively impacts local communities
● protect the sustainability of local communities from the impacts of free trade agreements
● fund programs to attract and train young people in sustainable agriculture
Land Protection
● ensure agricultural land zoning reflects land use capability and protects prime agricultural land and water sources
● end the exploration for and extraction of coal-seam, shale or tight gas and support farmers who wish to exclude natural gas projects from their land
Sustainable Practices
● increase research into sustainable agricultural innovations and industries
● promote and initiate schemes to implement sustainable farming systems
● replace the live animal export industry with abattoirs and transport infrastructure for chilled meat export
● support initiatives that promote local produce, and increase product quality and nutritional value, value-adding and local distribution
● support food trading and processing practices that support local producers and reduce transport, packaging and waste
Agriculture policy ratified by The Greens (WA) in May 2026
The Greens WA spokesperson for Agriculture is Jess Beckerling MLC