With the debate on the Renewable Energy Target (RET) expected to resume on Monday, The Nationals' Senator Ron Boswell said the Coalition will be moving amendments to the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Amendment Bill 2009 to protect farming families from the pass through of renewable energy costs on food processing. "The Renewable Energy Target (RET) requires electricity consumers to pay for significantly higher cost renewable sourced electricity, with government modelling estimating the RET will add $6 per megawatt hour to retail electricity prices", said Senator Boswell. Agricultural products are among the most trade-exposed in the world and any additional costs imposed on food processing can not be passed on. Additional costs are inevitably passed back to farming families reducing incomes and farm viability. Mr Robert Poole, General Manager of Government and External Affairs at Murray Goulburn Cooperative, told a Senate Committee that Murray Goulburn's liabilities under the CPRS would result in income losses to its 2,500 farming members of between $5,000 and $10,000. The RET would impose an additional $1 million in 2010, rising to over $2 million by 2020. Under Labor's plans, agricultural processors will be hit with the full force of electricity price rises because they do not meet the criteria set down for emissions-intensive, trade-exposed assistance. "There are about 8,000 dairy farmers in Australia now and they are going to pay all of the costs. It is a very narrow focus in terms of where all the costs ultimately lie", said Mr Poole. "I've heard of a regional Queensland abattoir saying its RET costs will start at $315,000 in 2010 and rise to $850,000 by 2020. Like dairy, these additional costs will be passed back to beef and sheep farmers", said Senator Boswell. "The Coalition have developed amendments to decouple industry assistance under the RET from Rudd's flawed ETS and also to provide trade-exposed food processors with a partial 90 per cent exemption from RET liabilities. "This will provide Australian farmers with a substantially better footing on which to compete on world markets and allow them to continue to draw a reasonable income from farming. "Labor has failed rural and regional Australia time and time again. They now have an opportunity to turn the corner, show some good faith to rural and regional constituents and support the Coalition's amendments. ENDS