Issue
Is the breeding of stud rams the 'rearing of livestock' for the purposes of paragraph 22(1)(c) of the Energy Grants (Credits) Scheme Act 2003 (EGCSA)?
Decision
Yes. The breeding of stud rams is the 'rearing of livestock' for the purposes of paragraph 22(1)(c) of the EGCSA.
Facts
An entity operates a stud farm and breeds stud rams. The stud rams are raised by the entity until they are mature enough to be sold.
The rams on the farm are sold after semen testing. They are sold to farmers who use them to breed sheep for food and wool production.
Reasons for Decision
Section 53 of the EGCSA provides that, subject to the conditions and restrictions specified in the regulations, an entity is entitled to an off-road credit if they purchase or import into Australia off-road diesel fuel for a use by them that qualifies, including 'agriculture'.
Subsection 22(1) of the EGCSA states, in part, that 'agriculture' means: (c) the rearing of live-stock
'Rearing' is not defined in the EGCSA, and therefore its ordinary meaning must be considered.
'Rear' is defined in the Macquarie Dictionary 2001 rev. 3rd edn, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd, NSW as
to care for and support up to maturity: to rear a child
The entity in this case is 'rearing' stud rams, as it is caring for them and supporting them until they are mature enough to be sold to farmers. What must then be considered is whether the rams are 'livestock' for the purposes of the EGCSA.
The term 'livestock' is defined in section 4 of the EGCSA as having a meaning 'affected by subsection 23(2).'
Subsection 23(2) of the EGCSA defines live-stock in the following terms: The expression live-stock includes any animal reared for the production of food, fibres, skins, fur or feathers, or for its use in the farming of land.
Subsection 23(2) of the EGCSA affects the meaning of live-stock in two ways. Firstly, it clarifies that the term includes 'any animal'. This accords with the ordinary meaning of the term 'live-stock', as per the Australian Oxford Dictionary 1999, Oxford University Press, Melbourne which defines the term 'live-stock' as: animals, esp. on a farm, regarded as an asset...
Secondly, subsection 23(2) of the EGCSA limits the definition by requiring that the animal be reared for the production of food, fibres, skins, fur or feathers, or for its use in the farming of the land.
In the context of the definition of 'live-stock' in subsection 23(2), the term 'includes' clarifies but does not expand the meaning of live-stock. It clarifies that only those animals that are reared for the production of food, fibres, skins, fur or feathers, or for their use in the farming of land, qualify as live-stock for the purposes of the off-road credits scheme.
Therefore, in the context of section 23 of the EGCSA, the term 'live-stock' means any animal kept for the production of food, fibres, skins or fur, or for its use in the farming of land. Stud rams are farm animals, regarded as an asset, which are kept for the production of food (lamb/hogget) and fibres (wool). Even though the stud rams may not produce food whilst owned by the entity, they will be used to produce food and wool (both directly and via their progeny) by the farmer that ultimately buys them.
Accordingly, the breeding of stud rams is the 'rearing of livestock' for the purposes of paragraph 22(1)(c) of the EGCSA.