Wednesday, 06 November 2024 09:55

Forestry cuts into stock numbers

Written by  Staff Reporters
Beef + Lamb NZ chair Kate Acland. Beef + Lamb NZ chair Kate Acland.

There is an urgent need for the Government to put a limit on the sale of farms for forestry - particularly for carbon farming.

That's the plea from the Beef + Lamb NZ chair Kate Acland who says the latest statistics show that since the end of 2022 more than 51,000ha of farmland has been sold to forestry interests. She says this far exceeds the 25,500ha the Climate Change Commission has recommended should be sold in any given year.

Acland adds that between 2017 and the end of June this year, a total of 261,733ha have been sold and believes this figure will turn out to be higher given the lag time in producing the statistics. She says there's already been a significant decline in stock numbers because of afforestation over the past few years.

"We estimate for every 100,000 hectares planted close to one million stock units are lost. While on one hand the decline in stock numbers means our sector has already dramatically reduced its overall greenhouse gas emissions and warming impact, the way it's happening is simply not sustainable," she says.

Acland says B+LNZ is not anti-forestry and says they support the integration of trees on farms. But say they just want some limits aroud the conversion of whole farms into forestry for carbon credits.

"We welcome the Government's intention to announce measures before Christmas and note that the National Party's pre-election manifesto sets out a sensible platform to work from," she says.


 Read More


More like this

Lamb crop drop

There's been a dramatic and larger than expected drop in the number of lambs produced in New Zealand.

NZ out of step - report

New Zealand is out of step globally in looking to put a price on agricultural emissions from food production.

Featured

New UHT plant construction starts

Construction is underway at Fonterra’s new UHT cream plant at Edendale, Southland following a groundbreaking ceremony recently.

National

Machinery & Products

GEA launches robotic milkers

Milking technology provider GEA Farm Technologies is introducing its first automatic milking system (AMS) in New Zealand.

More front hoppers

German seeding specialists Horsch have announced a new 1600- litre double-tank option that will join its current Partner FT single…

Origin Ag clocks up 20 years

With roots dating back to 2004, Origin Ag was formed as a co-operative business model that removed the traditional distributor,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Dark ages

OPINION: Before we all let The Green Party have at it with their 'bold' emissions reduction plan, the Hound thought…

Rhymes with?

OPINION: The Feds' latest banking survey shows that bankers are even less popular with farmers than they used to be,…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter