ETS proposals too hard on farmers, Grant says
Federated Farmers’ submission to Parliament on agricultural methane gas emissions has the full support of its South Canterbury members, the regional president says.
This week the Government launched a consultation document on how to bring agriculture into the emissions trading scheme (ETS) – a key part of the Government’s plan to tackle climate change and reduce New Zealand’s emissions.
This came after the Government said it had reached historic consensus with farming leaders to implement farm-level pricing of climate change emissions from the agriculture sector by 2025.
Federated Farmers South Canterbury president Jason Grant said the region would also prefer to see a 10 per cent reduction in agricultural methane emissions by 2050 as opposed to 2025.
‘‘South Canterbury obviously goes along with what the national Federated Farmers has submitted,’’ Grant said.
‘‘We believe the 10 per cent reduction by 2025 is too onerous on agriculture and those sort of reductions aren’t needed to meet New Zealand’s targets, and that’s been proven by scientific research.’’
Grant said the ETS reductions would have serious implications and severe economic consequences for the region.
‘‘It’s just going to increase costs unnecessarily and farmers are generally committed to meeting their commitments towards climate change.
‘‘It’s just that we don’t agree with the numbers that are being put out in the bill.’’
He said other farmers and farm groups they had spoken to agreed with the line Federated Farmers had taken.
Federated Farmers climate change spokesman Andrew Hoggard said what Federated Farmers had committed to was working with the Government to design a pricing mechanism where any price is part of a broader framework to support onfarm practice change.
‘‘Such pricing would be set at the margin – that is, only applying to methane emissions over the 0.3 per cent per annum reductions that science tells us is enough to ensure methane no longer adds to global warming.’’
Hoggard said the farming body did not agree with the universal pricing of methane as suggested by the Independent Climate Change Committee (ICCC).
‘‘The ETS has failed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transport – in fact, transport emissions have near doubled since 1990. Universal pricing of methane will be similarly unsuccessful.’’
Hoggard said if New Zealand’s milk and meat export volumes reduce as a result of lower on-farm production, the gap will
‘‘Unlike for a fossil-fuel powered vehicle, there is no ‘electric sheep’ . . . for farmers.’’ Andrew Hoggard, Federated Farmers
be filled by less efficient producers. This is known as ‘‘emissions leakage’’ and will ultimately increase global emissions and food costs.
‘‘So any pricing should only be a tool to incentivise farmers into taking up economically viable opportunities to cut methane, just as the Government might use incentives or a nudge to encourage people to switch to an electric vehicle,’’ he said.
‘‘Unlike for a fossil-fuel powered vehicle, there is no ‘electric sheep’ equivalent for farmers. But there is the potential for methane inhibitors or a vaccine, albeit some years away from proof and coming to market,’’ Hoggard said.
■ Public consultation is open until August 13 and public information sessions will be held around the country from July 22 to August 7, including Ashburton on July 25 and Christchurch on July 24. No sessions are scheduled for South Canterbury.