Farmers voice frustration at emissions efforts copping flak

Farmers from Manawatu¯ and beyond are frustrated their efforts to reduce emissions aren’t already recognised.

Officials from the Ministry for the Environment and Ministry for Primary Industries spoke to about 100 people at the Palmerston North Conference and Function Centre on Monday night.

The visit was part of the consultation for two interim proposals to tackle agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions, before the sector becomes part of the Emissions Trading Scheme from 2025.

One proposal would see emissions paid for by farmers at a processing level, while the second is a sector-government agreement funded by levies.

Waiouru farmer Andy Sherratt said New Zealand farmers were already recognised internationally for making an effort to clean up the sector.

‘‘We are the gold standard already, but we get beaten up by the media for what we aren’t doing.’’

Sherratt said he had spent more than $500 million fencing off waterways, with the help of Horizons Regional Council. He said it was unfair to assume farmers ‘‘had been sitting on [their] hands doing nothing’’.

Ministry for Primary Industries manager Nicki Ablitt said there were still plenty of farmers who needed to reduce their footprints.

‘‘We’ve got some people doing nothing . . . We have to be accountable and recognise you for the good work you’re doing.’’

Farmers will enter the scheme under a 95 per cent discount rate, so they only pay for 5 per cent of their emissions. That would equate to a charge of just 1 cent per kilogram of milk solids and 1c per kg of beef at the current scheme price of $25 a tonne of carbon.