Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) welcomes the Government’s announcement that it is amending climate change legislation to keep agriculture out of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
B+LNZ Chair Kate Acland says, “We have consistently argued that agriculture going into the ETS would be a disastrous outcome. We welcome certainty about this being removed.”
Acland also welcomed the official disestablishment of the He Waka Eke Noa Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership.
“We withdrew our support for He Waka Eke Noa because of the significant impact this would have had on our farmers.
“While we are prepared to be part of a new group that discusses how to manage New Zealand’s agricultural emissions, any involvement will be with full transparency and discussion with our farmers. We will not allow this to be a repeat of the He Waka Eke Noa process.
“We are being very clear to the Government that our bottom line is that we do not support a price on agricultural emissions as a way of achieving reductions.
“Emissions reductions in the sheep and beef sector are already happening more quickly than needed.
“The significant decline in stock numbers as a result of afforestation in the last few years means our sector will likely exceed the current target of a 10 percent reduction in methane by 2030.
“Based on this there is absolutely no justification for a price. This is a non-negotiable for our farmers.
“Our view is that we should be focused on the outcome we are trying to achieve – the management of agricultural emissions – and be open to solutions and different ways of achieving this.
“Sheep and beef farmers have reduced their absolute emissions by more than 30 percent since 1990 and are offsetting a significant proportion of their remaining emissions through the trees and native vegetation on their farms. Much of this sequestration is still not recognised or rewarded. Recent analysis by AgResearch indicates that our sheep production is already ‘warming neutral’.”
ENDS
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Read the Government's announcement here.