Editorial: Time for a reset
OPINION: The Government's recent announcement that methane targets will be reviewed is bringing relief to farmers.
OPINION: It's promising that the Government has adopted ACT’s long held policy of recognising on-farm sequestration for climate change. They should adopt the rest of our climate policy and take a practical approach to emissions that don’t hammer our agriculture sector.
ACT has long been calling for the Government to start properly rewarding farmers for the sequestration that already occurs on their farms and stop making out as if they’re environmental villains.
It’s good that the Government has finally seen sense on sequestration but they can’t use this as an excuse to continue with the burp tax. It will crush sheep and beef farming and increase global emissions as market share goes to less efficient countries.
The burp tax will ultimately be a food tax as prices of meat and dairy rise as a result.
It’s also about time they recognise that methane from livestock, as a short lived gas, has a very different effect on global temperatures compared to the near permanent effect of converting fossil fuel to carbon dioxide.
While they're u-turning on policy they should also repeal the Zero Carbon Act and introduce a nononsense climate change plan which ties our carbon price to the prices paid by our top five trading partners.
There is no need to carry on with the charade that the Zero Carbon Act is anything more than a costly excuse for more bureaucracy with no impact on emissions. Other parties should be prepared to have an honest conversation on climate change like ACT is.
ACT proposes a realistic, no-nonsense climate change policy that matches our efforts with our trading partners’ with minimal bureaucracy. We should set a cap on total emissions in line with the actual reductions of our trading partners, then allow New Zealanders to import high quality foreign carbon credits so we pay the world price, not an artificial price.
Other parties are more concerned about appearance of environmental progress than actual progress.
ACT stands for real change in our climate policy, ensuring it is practical, effective, and not going to make life harder for New Zealanders.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says New Zealand has no intention of backing down in a trade dispute with Canada over dairy products.
There have been leadership changes at the Hamilton-based Dairy Goat Co-operative, which has been struggling financially in recent years.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
OPINION: In recent years farmers have been crying foul of unworkable and expensive regulations.
Another 16 commercial beef farmers have been selected to take part in the Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme designed to help drive the uptake of genetics in the industry.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Kiwi exporters will be $100 million better off today as the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) comes into force.
OPINION: Canterbury milk processor Synlait is showing no sign of bouncing back from its financial doldrums.
OPINION: It seems every bugger in this country can get an award these days.