Tuesday, 11 June 2024 11:53

Farmers welcome move to exempt ag sector from ETS

Written by  Sudesh Kissun
Beef + Lamb NZ chair Kate Acland. Beef + Lamb NZ chair Kate Acland.

Farmers groups are welcoming the Government’s decision to exempt agriculture from an Emissions Trade Scheme (ETS).

Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) chair Kate Acland says they “have consistently argued that agriculture going into the ETS would be a disastrous outcome”.

“We welcome certainty about this being removed.”

Acland also welcomed the official disestablishment of the He Waka Eke Noa Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership. 

“We withdrew our support for He Waka Eke Noa because of the significant impact this would have had on our farmers. 

“While we are prepared to be part of a new group that discusses how to manage New Zealand’s agricultural emissions, any involvement will be with full transparency and discussion with our farmers. We will not allow this to be a repeat of the He Waka Eke Noa process.  

“We are being very clear to the Government that our bottom line is that we do not support a price on agricultural emissions as a way of achieving reductions. 

“Emissions reductions in the sheep and beef sector are already happening more quickly than needed.”

DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel says the announcement is positive, following a huge amount of uncertainty for dairy farmers.

 “New Zealand’s dairy farmers are among the world’s most GHG-efficient producers of milk, and inclusion in the NZ ETS could have shifted production to less-efficient producers offshore, hurting farmers, the economy and the country. That outcome would also increase global emissions,” he says.

 “To remain internationally competitive, all paths forward must be grounded in a science-based approach. This will ensure a profitable and sustainable future for dairy – and for the rest of New Zealand.

 “While there are currently no significant technologies to reduce methane emissions from New Zealand pastoral farms, our farmers continue to make strong progress towards measuring on-farm emissions, and we look forward to contributing to the government’s methane-reduction work. Methane emissions continue to reduce on-farm thanks to farmer action.”

More like this

DairyNZ plantain trials cut nitrate leaching by 26%

DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.

Featured

'One more push' to eliminate FE

Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.

Winston Peters questions Fonterra divestment plan

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Quid prod quo?

OPINION: Ageing lefty Chris Trotter reckons that the decision to delay recognition of Palestinian statehood is more than just a fit…

Deadwood

OPINION: A mate of yours truly recently met someone at a BBQ who works at a big consulting firm who spent…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter