Govt exempts farmers from ETS
The Government's decision to keep agriculture out of the New Zealand emissions trading scheme (ETS) has been roundly applauded by farmers.
Beef + Lamb NZ has welcomed most of the recommendations in the latest report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) relating to land use change.
Chair Kate Acland says the case studies show that existing and expected environment-related policies and rules, could lead to a significant decline in the sheep and beef sector.
In his report, the PCE, Simon Upton says for too long the issue of land use change has been relegated to the 'too-hard' basket and it's now time to confront some of the difficult questions regarding this.
He says while afforestation should continue, it should be in a way that is better suited to the landscape. He adds that national-level regulations that impact on land use change do not consider the differences of NZ landscapes and their communities. He says at present land owners are the main decision makers when it comes to land use change, but argues that catchment groups provide a way for willing land users to learn from each other.
Acland says B+LNZ supports the PCE's concerns about the impact of NZ's current policy settings around forestry offsetting in the ETS. She says the PCE modelling shows a high risk that major areas of productive farms will continue to be converted into forestry for carbon credits under current policy settings. Acland says they also support the PCE's recommendation for a 'catchment based approach' to environmental rules.
The fortunes of the dairy industry are expected to bounce back in about a year’s time, according to the Director General of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), Ray Smith.
Farm plastic recycler, Agrecovery’s Green-farms Product Stewardship Scheme (GPSS) has been officially accredited under the Waste Minimisation Act (2008).
Makers and retailers of animal health and crop thriving products are backing the Government’s plan to step up approval processes for new offerings.
Fonterra is opening a sixth application centre in China to boost its growing foodservice business.
Earlier signalling by the dairy industry of how many hectares of maize silage is required each season would assist maize growers to better plan their planting programmes, says the Foundation for Arable Research’s Ivan Lawrie.
As the country hunkers down for winter there’s a reminder to add fresh New Zealand-grown vegetables to your day.
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