Your levies at work

Environmental sustainability is one of the main challenges and opportunities for our sector.

Progress

Our sector has a world-class environmental footprint – sheep and beef farmers are already highly efficient at converting grass to high quality meat on farms that protect ecosystem services, such as biodiversity.

However, we recognise the need to further reduce our environmental footprint. We’re committed to improving water quality and further reducing the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions. 

Our work

In 2018, B+LNZ launched its environment strategy with a vision of ‘World-leading stewards of the natural environment and sustainable communities’ He kaitiakitanga mo te tai ao. The four goals of the strategy aim for:

• cleaner water
• carbon neutrality
• thriving biodiversity
• healthy and productive soils.

We want all our farmers to have active farm environment plans that detail and demonstrate environmental stewardship. Our sector already has 49 percent of farmers with a farm plan, so the groundwork is there to build on.

We also have a goal of our sector being carbon neutral by 2050 – and the sector is already a long way towards this objective.

As part of its work by farmers, for farmers, B+LNZ:

• advocates on behalf of farmers on environmental policy
• provides information to farmers on environmental sustainability
• helps upskill farmers in environmental management, including through catchment communities and farm plan workshops.

Key environment areas

See the stories and pages below as well as:

• our industry’s manifesto – this contains a useful summary of environmental challenges and opportunities
• a snapshot of our advocacy on biogenic methane emissions reductions
• our position on wholesale land conversion for carbon farming
• background information about He Waka Eke Noa, the joint action plan that seeks to reduce and manage primary sector emissions
• research showing woody vegetation on New Zealand sheep and beef farms is offsetting on average about 90 percent of their on-farm agricultural emissions
• information about the biodiversity consultation.