Farmers avoid research costs

WELLINGTON: Agriculture is a major winner in the Government’s plan to cut emissions, despite farmers having yet to pay a cent into the pot of money set aside for climate spending.

Industrial energy and transport were the other focus areas for the Emissions Reduction Plan, finally released yesterday, which will result in major shakeups in every sector of society.

Nearly $340 million of the $2.9 billion in climate funding announced yesterday will go on setting up a centre for climate action on agricultural emissions.

It will research ways technology can be used to, for example, cut methane output on the farm.

That is despite the sector not having paid anything into the funding pool for climate spending while it and the Government wrangle over a separate pricing scheme — He Waka Eke Noa — with a decision due by the end of the year.

Finance Minster Grant Robertson conceded the funding plan was supposed to make sure those responsible for causing the pollution, paid.

He said the agricultural sector was too big an emitter — nearly 50% of the total — not to take action as quickly as possible.

‘‘We could have stood on principle and said ‘No, we’re not going to put any funding from this in’, but actually that doesn’t help us when it comes to making the actual reductions that we need.’’

DairyNZ said the Government’s R&D commitment would help dairy farmers remain highperforming.

‘‘Because Kiwi dairy farmers are already so efficient, there’s no silver bullet. We need new highimpact technologies and to accelerate their uptake to continue reducing our environmental footprint, while enabling farmers to run successful businesses,’’ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle said. — RNZ