AUSTRALIA’S agriculture minister have agreed to endorse a Victorian-led national program that will see governments work together to help farmers meet the challenges of climate change.

The state agriculture leaders from around Australia met in Melbourne today at the Agricultural Ministers’ Forum.

Victorian Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes welcomed the decision of the Agricultural Ministers’ Forum to commit to the national climate change work program, which will provide certainty to the agriculture and business sectors while supporting producers to build resilience against changing conditions.

The Andrews Government said Victoria led the development of the program, which focuses on four priorities:

• Delivering information and tools to improve on-farm decisions and risk management
• Driving research and innovation to support adaptation and mitigation technology
• Strengthening market opportunities and farming business models to build resilience
• Preparing for increasing biosecurity risks as the risk of pests, diseases and weeds changes.

A new Climate Change Task Group will oversee the delivery of the program, regularly reporting to the Agriculture Senior Officials’ Committee and Ministers on its progress.

With some Victorian farmers facing their fourth seasons of drought, the Andrews Labor Government provided an additional $31 million package of targeted support earlier this month, giving farmers and communities impacted by drought and dry conditions the support they need.

Victorian Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes said as climate change becomes an increasing threat to our agriculture sector, the Victorian Government is proud to be leading the national initiative.

“The science on climate change is clear and we’ll work with farmers and their communities to manage the risks it poses to our agriculture sector.”