The Greens say farmers are being given a soft option on climate change and the Government is allowing the sector to get away with a low voluntary emissions target.
"It's time the sacred cow paid its way," party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said tonight.
"Taxpayers will subsidise agriculture by hundreds of millions of dollars if the ETS (Emissions Trading Scheme) is passed in its current form and the farming sector has not honoured its agreement in return."
Agriculture will not come under the scheme, which will set limits on emissions throughout the economy, until 2013.
In return, farmers initially agreed to do their best to voluntarily reduce emissions, mainly methane from animals, by 20 percent below current levels by 2013.
Climate Change Minister David Parker has told Parliament they are not on track to meet the target, and Ms Fitzsimons said she believed it had been lowered to 10 percent.
She said the Government had evidence that farmers had as many options as the steel industry to reduce emissions.
"There is no longer any good reason to exempt agriculture from the ETS," she said.
