The campaign promises benefits for Australian farmers who suffer from their competitors being paid mammoth subsidies in the European Union and the United States,helping Prime Minister Scott Morrison seek a climate deal with the Nationals as soon as next week.
The Australian position,put by Trade Minister Dan Tehan in talks in Europe on Friday,joins calls from Brazil and Indonesia for cuts to subsidies that offer the biggest payments to farmers in wealthy countries and do the most harm to those in the developing world.
Mr Tehan raised the issue with US climate envoy John Kerry in a step toward getting the US,EU and the World Trade Organisation to acknowledge the problem and put it on the agenda at the climate summit that begins in Glasgow on November 1.
“If countries are serious about addressing climate change they have to address all aspects of reducing emissions,” Mr Tehan said in an interview.
“We cannot leave an issue untouched when it ultimately accounts for 25 per cent of emission reduction.
“We’re looking at this and other countries need to do the same.”
Mr Tehan spoke to US trade representative Katherine Tai,European Commission Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and World Trade Organisation Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala about setting up a climate group to pursue the issue in trade talks after the Glasgow summit.