No reason to demonise farming
OPINION: New Zealand has said it is going to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by ‘a lot’ and ‘in a short time’. One of those gases is methane. Our biggest producer of methane is livestock farming.
Smith, a founding member of the Methane Science Accord, says farmers are aghast at the "environmentally ignorant and economically inept" greenhouse gas emissions targets.
"Even worse than previous targets from the Green Party playbook, the Nats have now shown their anaemically weak understanding of science and have instead taken the impotent option of simply demanding higher generic targets," Smith says.
"We thought we had a coalition who understood the economy, who could see through rampant extremism in climate change positioning and would acknowledge the fact that Kiwi farmers are the best in the world, producing more food with lower emissions.
"We are the only sector in the world that actually utilises a GHG as part of our food production through photosynthesis process, and the only sector with an offset. Pasture-raised livestock are net sequesters of greenhouse gases but this is ignored by our own sector as this doesn't suit the current ideology."
Last month, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced New Zealand's second international climate target under the Paris Agreement.
He unveiled that New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55% compared to 2005 levels, by 2035.
"We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious and achievable, reinforcing our commitment to the Paris Agreement and global climate action," Watts says.
"Meeting this target will mean we are doing our fair share towards reducing the impact of climate change, while enabling New Zealand to be stronger and thrive in the face of a changing climate."
However, Smith says these targets are not only unnecessary and misguided, "they now fast-track the destruction of the integrity of our world-class red meat protein production as we loom towards feed additives and expensive interference with natural methane processes through a myriad of pointless vaccines, boluses and misguided genetics".
"The real shame is the waste of taxpayer money and science resources that will be diverted even further towards chasing methane fairies instead of genuine R & D.
"The Government is asking for a fight on this and a fight they will get. We will need indivdual farmers mobilised in order to do this, as our own sector leaders have simply appeased and agreed - all in the name of gaining accolades, funding and avoiding embarassment around the $1 billion that has been squandered on methane 'reduction' to date."
Smith says Watts needs a cold bath of reality.
"At the very same time that his own government demands increased production and growth, he has just cut the wings off the golden goose that would have paid for hospitalxs and healthcare that we already cannot afford.
"The sad reality is that all New Zealanders will pay for these misguided targets through even higher energy and food costs and continued slower economic growth.
"Prepare for more pine trees."
