The report by Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries researchers has done a preliminary analysis of the net carbon position of the Queensland beef industry and is now available on the QPI&F website.

Minister for Primary Industries Tim Mulherin said the report was encouraging but stressed it was not definitive.

"The report is an attempt to help us understand the issue of net carbon position in relation to agriculture," Mr Mulherin said.

"It provides a technical assessment of the net carbon position of the Queensland beef industry at the farm scale (i.e. total on-farm emissions minus total sequestration) using the latest available data.

"It assesses the biological process only, and as such is a scientific approach that does not encompass current international policies.

"The report concludes that if remnant vegetation clearing levels have fallen to the levels projected in the report (consistent with current vegetation management frameworks) then the net carbon position of the Queensland beef industry at the farm level is likely to be close to zero.

"Further, this report highlights the potential gains in sequestration that could be achieved through improving soil carbon and improving land condition, in addition to productivity and environmental gains.

"The report suggests a range of potential research areas to improve the understanding of this area.

"This includes practical management systems to improve land condition and soil carbon stocks across a broad range of soil types and climate zones," Mr Mulherin said.