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

Editorial: New Treeland?

OPINION: Forestry is not all bad and planting pine trees on land that is prone to erosion or in soils which cannot support livestock farming makes sense.

Featured

$2b boost in NZ exports to EU

New Zealand’s trade with the European Union has jumped $2 billion since a free trade deal entered into force in May last year.

US tariffs hit European ag machinery markets

The climate of uncertainty and market fragmentation that currently characterises the global economy suggests that many of the European agricultural machinery manufacturers will be looking for new markets.

Tributes paid to Jim Bolger

Dignitaries from  all walks of life – the governor general,  politicians past and present, Maoridom- including the Maori Queen, church leaders, the primary sector and family and  friends packed Our Lady of Kapiti’s Catholic church in Paraparaumu on Thursday October 23 to pay tribute to former prime Minister, Jim Bolger who died last week.

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Red faced

OPINION: The Greens have taken the high moral ground on the Palestine issue and been leading political agitators in related…

Cold comfort

One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter