Mr Burke has told the ABARE Outlook conference in Canberra that the Government did "a terrible job" at the end of last year in explaining the final package for the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.

He went on to tell delegates there had been a lot of changes in the final package (which eventually triggered a melt-down in the Opposition and an eleventh-hour rejection in the Senate).

He says the cost impact on farmers from the Government's scheme would be "neutral".

Mr Burke believes that while there was no assistance for inputs, any rises in fuel were eligible for assistance and there was money available for processors to move to lower energy use for their electricity.

"So in terms of input prices, it’s pretty hard to argue that that in its final form actually meant much of an increase at all," Mr Burke said.

"Neutral is probably the easiest way to describe the outcome of input prices."

Mr Burke said primary industries would be the only sector in the Australian economy where emissions were completely ignored in the scheme.

"But if you’re able to reduce your emissions through abatement, you get cash," Mr Burke said.

"If you’re able to improve the amount of carbon in the soil through sequestration, you get cash.

"Now people can do their own sums as to what sort of deal that would end up being for farmers.

"But simply inputs roughly the same, cost of emissions completely ignored, opportunities for new lines of income created. That is the legislation in its final form.

"That is the legislation for this sector that is currently before the Senate."

A third vote on the legislation will be held in May, with expectations it will be defeated again.