The red meat industry's ambitious target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 will fail without more investment and action, a peak body says.
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A joint report by Australia's science agency CSIRO and the Meat and Livestock Association recommends the industry considers abandoning the bold target.
But Meat and Livestock Association boss Jason Strong said the recommendation was pre-emptive and he won't shift the target.
"I'm not sure why you would, if you've got an ambitious target that you're almost half the way towards, I'm not sure why you would reconsider the target," Mr Strong told AAP.
The report found with "a business-as-usual scenario" the greenhouse gas footprint of the industry will grow by 12.2 megatonnes of CO2, equivalent to 63.5 megatonnes in 2030.
"This is essentially the consequence of an anticipated increase in livestock numbers over this period," the report found.
But Mr Strong said the red meat industry was on track to achieve its carbon neutral goal provided there was ongoing investment from the industry, government and private sector.
"We've got more time in front of us than what we've got behind us and we're already half the way to the solution," he said.
The industry has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 64 per cent since 2005, up from 53 per cent in 2018.
The report found new methods will need to be developed to calculate the industry's contribution to reducing emissions, including measuring the impact of feeding cattle methane-busting additives.
"If we don't do anything more we're going to miss the 2030 goal, but.... we started five years ago, we've got pretty good progress so far, we've still got seven years to go," Mr Strong said.
"It lays out quite clearly the gap we've got to close in the next seven years.
"It's keep going and carry on."
The original vision for carbon neutrality by 2030 was based on CSIRO modelling that showed it was achievable with the right policy settings.
Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt told ABC radio on Tuesday he was still confident the industry could meet the target.
"It will require more work... we do need to do more," he said.
Australian Associated Press
