11. LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupō) Link to this
to the Minister of Agriculture
What steps has the Government recently taken to boost research into agricultural emissions?
Hon DAVID CARTER (Minister of Agriculture) Link to this
This week the Government announced a $10 million 3-year partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the dairy and fertiliser industries in order to research the effectiveness of nitrification inhibitors in reducing agricultural emissions. This vital work, 50 percent of which is funded by the Government, is a significant step towards developing practical tools to aid farmers to reduce their emissions. I commend industry for coming on board and for providing its support for the research work.
The Government is committed to finding ways to help farmers reduce their emissions without destocking, and destroying the economy. Nitrification inhibitors offer some potential in this regard, but more detailed work is needed to measure their effectiveness and to ensure farmer buy-in. The work will deliver that information and will help our farmers meet the challenges they face around climate change.
Charles ChauvelDoes the Minister stand by his comments that farmers are on board and are prepared to face the challenges presented by climate change; if so, how does he reconcile those comments with continued statements from farming lobby groups such as Federated Farmers that the emissions trading scheme should be scrapped, the agriculture sector should be exempt, and the Government should set no targets for 2020 carbon pollution reduction?
I stand by my comments. The majority of farmers I meet are well and truly on board and willing to face the challenges. We need assistance and to work with industry to find solutions for how to do it without adopting the Greens’ policy of simply destocking livestock from New Zealand.
I seek leave to table a speech made by Don Nicholson at the recent ACT Party conference, making the statements I referred to in my question.
Mr SPEAKERA huge amount of work is going on, and it is an absolute priority of the National Government. We have recently announced the domestic Centre for Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research, and my colleague Tim Groser and I are now working very hard to build support for a global alliance on agricultural greenhouse gas research. On top of that the Primary Growth Partnership, Sustainable Farming Fund, Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium, and Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Plan of Action are all provided with funding for this vital research.
Jeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
Does the Minister accept DairyNZ’s published conclusion from its research that at a milk payout of less than $5.50 a kilo, “increasing the stocking rate and feed supply was no advantage for operating profit.”?
The basis on which farmers make a decision on increasing production is made individually. I cannot accept a generalised statement like the one the member gave.
Jeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
What implications does the Minister see for New Zealand’s greenhouse policy for the finding of AgResearch scientists that cows on low-intensity farms produce more milk per cow than those on high-intensity farms, at much lower cost to the farmer and much lower emissions for New Zealand?
I am not familiar with the research to which the member refers, but I have absolute confidence that New Zealanders will produce their product in a greenhouse-efficient manner more than comparable with that of producers anywhere else in the world. That is the important factor we have to realise.
Jeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
I seek leave to table three documents that include the reference for the points the Minister said he was not familiar with. The first is a paper by DairyNZ, “Milksolids Production per Ha ≠ Profit per Ha”.
Jeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
I seek leave to table a publication in Ecological Economics this year by scientists from AgResearch, which shows that milk production per cow is higher at lower stocking rates.
Jeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
I seek leave to table a document called Getting There, which was published on Tuesday by the Green Party and which documents emissions reduction possibilities in a range of areas, including agriculture.