The following was emailed to farmers on 10 November 2022.
Following is a joint statement signed by the Chairs of B+LNZ, DairyNZ and Federated Farmers.
These agreed positions will inform B+LNZ’s submission on the Government’s emissions pricing proposals. We urge farmers to make consultation submissions too – see below for updated guidance to make it quicker and easier to send the Government a submission.
This week the leaders of Beef + Lamb New Zealand, DairyNZ, and Federated Farmers met in Christchurch to discuss emissions pricing and to establish common positions between our three organisations so we can move forward together and advocate strongly on behalf of farmers.
A united voice on emissions pricing is the best way to ensure positive policy outcomes for farmers.
It was a productive discussion and all three organisations have agreed on the following core principles that we will all be raising directly with the Government on your behalf:
- The current methane targets are wrong and need to be reviewed. Any target should be science-based, not political, and look to prevent additional warming.
- The methane price should be set at the minimum level needed and be fixed for a five-year period to give farmers certainty.
- Any levy revenue must be ringfenced and only be used for the administration of the system, investment in R&D, or go back to farmers as incentives. Administration costs must be minimised.
- The future price should be set by the Minister on the advice of an independent oversight board appointed by all He Waka Eke Noa partners.
- The system must incentivise farmers to uptake technology and adopt good farming practices that will reduce global emissions.
- All sequestration that can be measured and is additive should be counted. We stand by what was proposed by the He Waka Eke Noa partnership on sequestration.
- Farmers should be able to form collectives to measure, manage, and report their emissions in an efficient way.
- Farmers who don’t have access to mitigations or sequestration should be able to apply for temporary levy relief if the viability of their business is threatened.
- We will not accept emissions leakage. The way to prevent that happening is by getting the targets, price, sequestration, incentives, and other settings right.
Our organisations are all united in our determination to get the best possible outcome we can and will continue to work closely together as we advocate for farmers.
Individual organisations will continue to raise sector specific issues.
How to make a submission
While farmer feedback will also inform our submission, it’s also important that all farmers make their voices heard with their own submissions.
You can now pick the way that works best for you, depending on your knowledge and time.
1. Submit our pre-written template
Go to our website, enter the required information and read the pre-written submission content. We strongly encourage you to add your own words and examples, but you can also just send the submission as is if you agree with it. We’ve included key areas the Government needs to reconsider. Find the pre-written template here.
OR
2. Read our factsheet on how to write your submission and use the longer blank submission template
If you really want to get to grips with the issues in the Government’s proposals, or want to provide supporting documentation and the like, we recommend you read the factsheet and write your own submission. We’ve also updated the blank submission template to include more guidance on the Ministry for the Environment’s requirements for submitting your thoughts. Find the more detailed factsheet and template here.