Mark Cameron Steps Down, Reflects on Farmers' Voice
When Northland farmer Mark Cameron entered parliament six years ago, the Beehive was a lonely place.
ACT agriculture spokesman Mark Cameron says, “the house of cards is collapsing and strengthens ACT’s call that either Paris needs to change, or we need to leave”.
“This withdrawal follows the recent implosion of the Net Zero Banking Alliance, as the global tide turns on unaffordable international agreements,” he says.
New agency, Reuters is reporting that Nestle is withdrawing from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance, a global initiative aimed at reducing methane emissions from dairy farming. The alliance includes companies like Danone, Kraft Heinz, and Starbucks, which are committed to measuring and reducing methane emissions in their supply chains, the report says.
It reports that Nestle's departure from the alliance is part of a broader trend of companies reevaluating their participation in climate initiatives. This comes amid a backdrop of US policy changes under President Donald Trump, which have seen several major banks leave the main group leading efforts to cut carbon emissions.
ACT Party wants changes to the Paris Agreement on reducing emissions. It says if changes won’t be made then NZ should withdraw from the deal.
Cameron says the Paris Agreement demands targets that are disconnected from science and blind to New Zealand’s realities.
“Net zero targets have been set without regard for the real cost to firms, farms, and families. The result is farmers forced off the land, the regions hollowed out, and higher prices for food, electricity, and production.
““For years, we’ve been told that our farmers must be taxed and regulated because overseas markets demand it. But if we had listened to those people, we’d now be punishing the world’s most efficient farmers for no reason at all. Common sense is finally returning.
““We have always said that if overseas customers truly demand low-emissions products, there’s no need for government to legislate it. The market will deliver what consumers actually want – not what politicians in Wellington imagine they do.
“ACT is the only party that opposed the Labour-NZ First-Green Zero Carbon Act, to consistently vote against the Labour-Green emissions mandates. Now it’s time to make sure we’re getting a fair deal for the world’s most efficient farmers, and the Kiwis that rely on them.”
