ACT, farmers push for changes to Paris Agreement

Launching the party's position on climate change on a dairy farm at Patumahoe, South Auckland, last week, ACT leader David Seymour described the Paris Agreement as "a bad boyfriend".

"If it doesn't change, we're going to leave," he told Rural News.

While ACT isn't calling for NZ to leave the climate change pact, it is calling for changes. This puts ACT on the middle ground - with Beef+Lamb NZ, DairyNZ and Federated Farmers ruling out leaving Paris. Farmer lobby Groundswell is pushing for NZ to quit Paris.

"I can understand why the likes of Beef and Lamb are saying, look, staying in Paris gives us marketing cover. But marketing's all fine, so long as you've got something to sell.

"And so, I believe if you aask them truly, do they think Paris is great? No, they don't.

"I believe a time will come where countries like New Zealand, who are very exposed to methane, are going to start renegotiating. And I believe New Zealand should lead that. New Zealand's always been a leading country in everything we've done."

Read More:

• 'Leaving Paris' not a good idea
• Groundswell ramps up 'Quit Paris' campaign across New Zealand
• Federated Farmers reject call to leave Paris Agreement

New Zealand's 2050 climate target of cutting methane emissions by 24 to 47% of 2017 levels was set by the previous Labour government. The current Government is being urged by farmer lobby groups to lower the target, and back away from any plans to put a price on methane. A scientific panel, appointed by National, found cutting methane 14-24% of 2017 levels by 2050 would achieve no additional warming, but Cabinet has not said whether it will adopt that range as a target.

Seymour says as a small trading nation, NZ can't ignore climate policy but overdoing it will backfire.

"Sending New Zealand farming and industry overseas where they emit even more, hurts the climate and our way of life. Paris needs to change, or New Zealand needs to leave."

Groundswell co-founder Bryce McKenzie told Rural News that ACT's position goes a long way to achieving something sensible. But he says the problem is a change of government could undo the changes.

"When we end up with a change of government, they will have the opportunity to introduce all the same old policies using our 'Paris obligations' as a cover.

"We can't trust future politicians to stand up for NZ; we have to quit Paris.

"The Paris Agreement is causing higher prices for food, electricity and all production. Every Kiwi is feeling it, even though they may not understand where it's coming from. It is slowly destroying us."

Federated Farmers says the problem isn't the Paris Agreement itself, but how it's being applied in New Zealand that is hurting farmers and rural communities.

"We don't support the Government withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, but changes are needed," says Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford.

"The 'Pull out of Paris' message might look good on a bumper sticker, but in reality, it's an oversimplification of the issue. Paris isn't the problem, and pulling out isn't the solution.

"What we should really be talking about is how Paris is being applied domestically, and how we could be taking a much more pragmatic, realistic and scientific approach to climate policy."

Federated Farmers says overly ambitious methane reduction targets, whole-farm conversions to carbon forestry, and plans to price agricultural emissions are all homegrown policies.

Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford

"The climate rules we set for ourselves here in New Zealand are where the rubber really meets the road for farmers and rural communities," Langford says.

"The world hasn't forced those policies on us; they're self-inflicted products of our own politicians setting overly ambitious goals with no realistic way of achieving them."

B+LNZ Backing

Beef+Lamb NZ chair Kate Acland says it agrees with much of what's included in ACT's position statement.

"We have consistently called for a split-gas approach to New Zealand's NDC (which sets out New Zealand's contribution to delivering on the goals of the Paris Agreement) to recognise the different role methane plays in warming.

"We have also long argued that our international commitments must reflect the importance food production.

"Regardless, the agriculture sector is on track to meet targets, so the pricing of agricultural emissions is not justified. We have for some time been calling for pricing to be taken off the table.

"It is heartening to see politicians listen to these calls. We will continue to push the Government on these issues.

"New Zealand has some of the most productive and emissions-efficient producers of protein in the world and our farmers are committed to staying that way through a continued drive for efficiencies."

Beef+Lamb NZ chair Kate Acland.

No Need For Price

Speaking at the ACT Party event, Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard says there's no need to have a price on methane.

"Basically, we're already on track to have hit 10% by 2030," says Hoggard, referring to the scientific panel report that found cutting methane 14-24% off 2017 levels by 2050 would achieve no added warming.

"So that's only another 4% in 20 years. With all the technology that's about, that will come about; the continual improvement New Zealand farmers do anyway, that's easily achievable.

"We don't need a price on methane to achieve that - just keep getting better like we've always done will get us there. New Zealand farmers generally don't need encouragement to be efficient, they're pretty good at it."