The National Party’s deputy leader Briget McKenzie is denying Australia’s agriculture sector will be hit by the federal government’s National Energy Guarantee (NEG).

Ms McKenzie says our “$64-billion agriculture sector is safe” despite concerns from Barnaby Joyce.

The former deputy prime minister has warned he will withdraw his support for the NEG if emissions targets unfairly hit our farmers and force them to make sacrifices.

His comments come after the Australia Institute predicted over 2 million beef cattle and 8 million sheep would have to be killed by 2030 to meet our 26% emissions reduction targets.

Senator McKenzie tells Ben Fordham under a Coalition government, with the NEG in place, no farm animals will be culled.

She says the government’s flagship energy policy supports the agriculture industry, not the other way around.

“Our government is about backing business, about backing industries like agriculture and making sure we have access to affordable and reliable power.

“That’s what the NEG is about. And that’s what the National Party, Barnaby included, have been pushing for, for so long.

“What we need to make sure is when you tun the light on in this country, or you’re running a manufacturing plant, that you’re not going to have breaks in your energy supply and that it’s also affordable.”

Click PLAY below for the full interview