B+LNZ rejects agri emissions pricing system
In its submission to the Government, Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) has rejected the proposed agricultural emissions pricing system and called for essential changes to ensure the system does not unfairly impact sheep and beef farmers.
B+LNZ chairman Andrew Morrison said the Government’s own modelling reinforced the need for changes. ‘‘The Government’s modelling showed that sheep and beef farmers would bear the brunt of their proposals.
‘‘Their proposal has caused concern and anger in rural communities up and down the country,’’ Morrison said.
Morrison said the Government must address key questions around equity and fairness before proceeding with emissions pricing.
B+LNZ worked hard to get several key considerations added to or strengthened in the He Waka Eke Noa Partners’ joint consultation submission, and these were strongly supported in B+LNZ’S submission.
B+LNZ and the He Waka Eke Noa Partners have called for a precautionary approach to pricing and sought greater assurances from the Government around this.
Prices should start as low as necessary and be kept as low as necessary, while impacts were monitored.
B+LNZ and the Partners’ recommended price has been revised downwards to a starting level of
no more than 5 cents in 2025.
Prices must also be based on more than just progress towards the emission targets. B+LNZ and the Partnership have put forward a broader set of criteria to be considered when setting levy rates and have called for these criteria to be embedded in legislation.
B+LNZ and the Partnership have elaborated on the levy relief that farmers should receive when they don’t have access to seques
tration or mitigations.
They have also proposed new annual sub-sector emissions reporting to ensure that no one sector is disproportionately affected, and whether any changes are needed to overall pricing or levy relief – in conjunction with examination of the impact of other policies, such as those relating to afforestation.
The importance of reverting to the He Waka Eke Noa Partners’
original proposals on sequestration have also been reiterated.
B+LNZ has consistently said that if farmers were to face a price for their emissions, it’s only fair they receive adequate recognition for their sequestration from day one.
Another area highlighted as unacceptable was the Government’s proposal to remove slope as a factor for reporting on nitrous oxide emissions.
The Government’s proposal would significantly disadvantage sheep and beef farmers, as about 79 percent of sheep and beef farms were classed as medium or steep slope.
Recent science has proven that urine patches on slopes emit significantly fewer nitrous oxide emissions than on flat land and this must be taken into account, Morrison said.
‘‘These considerations are all hugely important and interconnected.
‘‘The Government can’t just pick and choose aspects, because if one of them is ignored the whole approach unravels, at the expense of the ongoing viability and sustainability of the sheep and beef sector.’’
B+LNZ and the Partners’ submissions also strengthen the advice around the emissions reduction targets, noting they were too high and that they must be reviewed using the latest warming science, including GWP*, before the pricing of agricultural emissions begins in 2025.
The submission also covers related considerations such as the policy settings incentivising carbon forestry, which was leading to wholesale conversion of sheep and beef farms.
B+LNZ has repeatedly raised concerns about offsetting through planting exotic trees being seen as the fix for climate change and has noted that New Zealand sheep and beef farms are second only to the Department of Conservation estate in terms of maintaining New Zealand’s biodiversity.