Source: Federated Farmers
Federated Farmers is welcoming major changes to New Zealand’s climate policy as a long overdue and practical step that will be well received by farmers.
“Kiwi farmers have been bogged down in completely unscientific, unaffordable and unrealistic climate policy for far too long,” says Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford.
“At times it’s felt like absolute madness that we’d even be talking about policies that would shut down farms, send production offshore, and completely undermine New Zealand’s economy.
“Unfortunately, that’s exactly where we found ourselves as a country, losing sight of the fact our farmers are the most climate-friendly producers of milk and meat in the world.
“The impact on farmer confidence can’t be overstated. Farming families have been under huge pressure for a long time now – but it looks like that’s finally coming to an end.”
Today the Government has announced the current 2050 methane target of 24-47% will be significantly reduced to a much more realistic target of 14-24%.
Langford says the target of 24-47% has lacked any credible science to underpin it and left farmers scratching their heads wondering where those numbers came from.
“It was an entirely political and ideologically driven decision that placed an unfair burden on farmers and rural communities, while pulling the handbrake on the economy at the same time.
“This new target brings New Zealand’s climate policy in line with what the research tells us is actually required to stop Kiwi farmers contributing to further warming.”
Federated Farmers made reviewing New Zealand’s methane reduction targets one of its 12 top policy priorities to help restore farmer confidence before the 2023 General Election.
“Today the Government has also categorically ruled out unfairly putting a price on agricultural emissions like methane,” Langford says.
“This is a major step forward and will be a huge relief for farming families who have had the threat of a massive tax hanging over our heads threatening the viability of our businesses.
“A methane tax would have achieved the opposite of its intent – forcing the closure of Kiwi farms, driving production to less efficient countries, and increasing global emissions.”
Federated Farmers is also welcoming news that New Zealand’s climate laws will be rewritten to align with the wording of the Paris Agreement and ensure food production is protected.
“The world’s growing population is desperate for healthy, nutritious and affordable food. New Zealand can play a significant role in meeting that need,” Langford says.
“It makes absolutely no sense to add unnecessary costs to food production, or unfairly punish farmers, when that was never the intention of the Paris Agreement.”
As part of its policy reset on methane the Government has also committed to investigate setting a split-gas target for all future international climate change commitments.
“New Zealand has recognised the short-lived nature and different warming impact of methane in our domestic targets since 2019,” Langford says.
“It’s only logical that we would take the same approach with our international targets. Why would we take one approach here at home and then another on the world stage?
“Federated Farmers has long campaigned for the Government to take this approach to international targets, so we’ll keep pushing hard to make sure this happens.”
