Tuesday, 13 June 2023 07:55

'Let's keep the dialogue going'

Written by  Peter Burke
DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel says dairy farmers see themselves as part of the solution. DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel says dairy farmers see themselves as part of the solution.

Keep the dialogue going. That's the message from DairyNZ chairman Jim van der Poel as the Government mulls over how to deal with agricultural emissions before the election.

Van der Poel says they haven't heard anything from government about a proposed fertiliser tax being passed by Parliament before the October election. But he concedes that time is running out to pas any of the He Waka Eke Noa (HWEN) legislation, given the election is only a few months away. He says the idea of a 'fert tax' is not something the industry has talked about and there is no framework developed around such a proposal.

"Pricing is just one aspect of HWEN," he told Dairy News.

He says HWEN includes a much broader range of initiatives, including farmers knowing their emission numbers and having guidelines around these to incentivise farmers to make changes to comply with government requirements. He says, whether HWEN is dead or not, everyone accepts NZ has a commitment internationally to reduce agricultural emissions.

"My message to government is that, in the spirit of the partnership, if we can't stand up HWEN and we believe there is a better way of doing that, we should continue to work together and see what that looks like.

"If you can work together on what that looks like, it's more likely to be enduring. If we start splitting things up it's going to be a mess," he says.

Van der Poel says dairy farmers see themselves as part of the solution; they know they must do their part for NZ to meet its commitments.

But he says it's logical that they want to know what they have to do. If there is a levy, they want to know that money contributes to useful research.

"Farmers take great pride in the fact they have good effluent systems in place, that they are managing their nutrients properly and have fenced off waterways. There are many initiatives taking place on farm and people will buy in what's needed, provided it is logical," he says.

But he says farmers will be less supportive if something that doesn't make sense is imposed on them.

More like this

Musical chairs

OPINION: DairyNZ's director elections has seen scientist Jacqueline Rowarth re-elected for another three-year term.

DairyNZ levy to increase?

Retiring chair Jim van der Poel has used his final AGM to announce the intention to increase the DairyNZ farmer levy for the first time in the industry-good body's 17-year history.

Tributes to retiring 'Jim the farmer'

Doing what is right, not what is easy, has been the hallmark of Jim van der Poel's leadership of, and advocacy for, the dairy industry, attendees at the DairyNZ annual general meeting heard last week.

Featured

New ag degrees at Massey

Changing skill demands and new job opportunities in the primary sector have prompted Massey University to create a new degree course and add a significant major into another in 2025.

The show is on!

It was bringing in a new Canterbury A&P Association (CAPA) show board, more in tune with the CAPA general committee, that has ensured that Christchurch will have a show this year, says CAPA general committee president Bryce Murray.

National

'Quite a journey'

Former Synlait chief executive Grant Watson says the past two years have been quite the journey.

DairyNZ levy to increase?

Retiring chair Jim van der Poel has used his final AGM to announce the intention to increase the DairyNZ farmer…

Former Fonterra CEO dies

Former Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings passed away in the Netherlands over the weekend.

Machinery & Products

Milk Sustainability Centre launched

The recently announced Milk Sustainability Centre – a collaboration between global giant John Deere and milking and feed specialists De…

Data connection made easier

New Holland and Case IH are introducing new advancements in their precision technology stack to make farming easier and more…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Feed from farmers

OPINION: The country's dairy farmers will now also have a hand in providing free lunch for schools.

Brighter future

OPINION: The abrupt departure of Synlait chief executive Grant Watson could be a sign that Chinese company Bright Dairy, the…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter