Investment in methane-busting tech growing
Dropping New Zealand’s livestock numbers to reduce biogenic methane emissions would increase emissions elsewhere in the world, Federated Farmers say.
President Wayne Langford was commenting on a suggestion in the Climate Commission’s draft advice on New Zealand’s fourth emission budget, released last week, that farmers would need to reduce dairy stock by 23% and sheep and beef by 12% to meet agricultural targets.
“It’s just the wrong way to look at it,” Langford said, adding that Kiwi farmers were known as the lowest emission producers in the world.
The sector was already investing a lot of time and money to reduce emissions further, he added.
Also last week, AgriZeroNZ announced that a2 Milk Company, ANZ Bank New Zealand and ASB Bank had joined its list of private investors. With the Government matching their contributions, the fund is up $18 million, taking its total funds raised to $183m.
The company is a 50/50 joint venture between the Government and agribusiness sector to invest in sustainable options for farmers. It’s already committed $22m to developing emissions reduction tools like methane inhibiting bolus, novel probiotics, New Zealand research for a methane vaccine and inhibitor, and a greenhouse gas testing facility.
Last Wednesday, Minister of Agriculture and Trade Todd McClay announced AgriZeroNZ would establish a new venture specifically focused on a methane vaccine.
AgriZeroNZ director Fraser Whineray said: “A methane vaccine is highly sought-after as a low cost, high-impact solution to reduce agricultural emissions and Kiwi scientists have done some ground-breaking work in this space over the years. We’re confident this new venture will significantly boost their work and help get the vaccine into farmers’ hands sooner.”
Elsewhere in the country, agribusinesses are working on methane-busting feeds, breeding cows and sheep that produce less methane and merging dairy and beef to reduce greenhouse gas intensity.
Langford said most farmers knew what their gross emissions were and had plans for how to reduce them. The sector had come a long way in the past five years, and he was keen to see what would come in the next five years.
“We’re moving ahead in leaps and bounds. It’s going to snowball,” he said, while cautioning it would take time for new innovations to come to market.
He wasn’t convinced that the emissions target of 24% to 47% suggested by the Climate Commission was realistic.
It’s widely recognised that the agricultural targets previously set for New Zealand weren’t suitable for the country’s emissions profile and local targets should be focused on limiting global warming, Langford said.
Biogenic methane was different from other greenhouse gases, because it behaved differently in terms of its effect on warming.
The Government recently announced a review of its methane reduction targets, committing to a split-gas approach.
Results are expected at the end of the year and Associate Minister of Agriculture Andrew Hoggard said it was important that agriculture’s contribution to the 2050 Climate Change targets were fair and appropriate compared to other parts of the economy.
“It’s important that domestic efforts to cut emissions do not drive a drop in our agricultural production.”
But Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said the move hinted at the Government’s desire to delay New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate-safe future.
With there already being a legally required, independent review of emissions reduction targets this year, Swarbrick said the Government should be focusing its energy on supporting the work farmers were already doing.