The latest proposed legislation to fight Climate Change, is depressing for livestock farmers.
Methane has been separated out from carbon and farmers will have to reduce methane 10% by 2030 and 24-47% 2050. However, farmers are not allowed to plant trees to offset those methane emissions. Also, the targets for methane are gross, whereas for nitrous oxide and carbon it is net.
There is only one way to reach the methane targets and that is cutting stock numbers. A recipe for disaster for this country’s economy.
If you believe the consequences of climate change are as severe as alarmists predict then the emission to be tackling is carbon.Yet methane is being targeted and farmers will be suffering to compensate for New Zealand’s carbon sinning.
The methane goal is a tax because it will be collected at processing so no matter how efficient and environmentally sound a farm is, the farmer will pay the same as a bad counterpart.
Instead of taxing farmers they should be allowing them to spend their own money on finding technology and management practices to greater onfarm efficiency, which in turn reduces emissions. Genetic engineering could be one of the answers but of course the left-wing won’t allow it in NZ.
Instead we have carbon credits which allow emitters to continue pumping CO². NZ First’s hairbrained one-billion trees and the carbon credit market is already wreaking havoc in rural communities.
Farms are selling to domestic and foreign owners eager to cash in on forestry and carbon credits.
In the east coast of the North Island, 48% of farm sales has gone to forestry since November 2018 – 100,000 stock units replaced by trees (P20).
Why is NZ signing up for such punishment when it is only responsible for
0.17% of global emissions?
Minister James Shaw obviously enjoys the world stage and cost taxpayers nearly $80,000 in international air travel over a year. Instead of trying to play God, the Government should be working on improving people’s lives. Sure fix pollution and real poverty globally, ensure a strong economy, less taxes and more in the pay packet so taxpayers have options.
A journalist’s job is to be sceptical about everything and climate change is no different. Climate alarmist scientists’ most dire predictions have to date not come to pass. There are so many experts in climate change, especially those from the soft science fraternity. Those in the field of geography seem most sound because they have always dealt with climate change.
The Government has shown its disdain for farming. It says it recognises the importance of agriculture then proceeds to screw it with the proposed legislation.
Hopefully after the next election there will be a more rational Government which is more accommodating to farming.
