Government announcement on Significant Natural Areas, B+LNZ’s submission on NZ’s second emissions reduction plan, Vocational education and training consultation underway
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This page contains this week’s e-diary national notices.
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This week’s notices:
Government announcement on Significant Natural Areas
This week the Government announced the scope of its review into the Significant Natural Area (SNA) provisions in the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPS-IB). The review will consider how SNAs should be identified, assessed and managed. B+LNZ welcomes this announcement, which provides further clarity and appears to cover the areas we have raised as of major concern for our farmers. Any changes to the NPS-IB will be progressed as part of the Government’s resource management reforms and there will be an opportunity to provide feedback on these changes in early 2025. B+LNZ will continue to keep farmers updated.
B+LNZ’s submission on NZ’s second emissions reduction plan
B+LNZ and the Meat Industry Association have provided the Ministry for the Environment with a submission on its discussion document outlining the Government’s approach to NZ’s second emissions budget (ERP2) covering emissions reductions between 2026 and 2030. The submission shows that due to uncontrolled conversion of whole farms into carbon forestry, we have already seen significant emissions reductions in our sector, so pricing to drive emissions reductions is not necessary. It notes we continue to be concerned about the reliance on carbon forestry for removals of long-term GHG emissions and the consequences that has on land use and food production – and the sustainability of our sector. The submission is available on our website here.
Vocational education and training consultation underway
A sustainable, skilled workforce is crucial for our sector’s success. The Government is consulting on the future of New Zealand’s vocational education until 12 September and B+LNZ is working with a range of organisations from the food and fibre sector to ensure the new system supports a skilled rural workforce. You can learn more and submit feedback on the Ministry of Education’s website. To contribute to B+LNZ’s submission, email Olivia.Weatherburn@beeflambnz.com by 6 September 2024.