He Waka Eke Noa?

Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, June 10th, 2022 - 16 comments
Categories: Christopher Luxon, climate change, Environment, ETS, farming, james shaw, labour, national, science - Tags:

This will test Christopher Luxon’s climate change credentials.

The He Waka Eke Noa report has been released and is recommending the introduction of farm-level split-gas levy on agricultural emissions with incentives to reduce emissions and sequester carbon.

The anticipated savings are very small.  It is anticipated that the framework and pricing system will lead to an estimated reduction in methane emissions of between 4 and 5.5%, depending on the availability of technology options.

Existing Government proposals are expected to result in the sector’s methane emissions reduction reaching the Government target of 10%.

The proposal has drawn various responses.

Dairy NZ and Federated Farmers are cautiously supportive.  But Groundswell thinks that the proposal is a disaster and will put farmers out of business  Farmers should be allowed to do what they want because some farms overseas are even worse.  If this is the test it is well and truly a race to the bottom and humanity has no chance.

There have been other responses to the release.

James Shaw is in an invidious position.  The Green’s response is direct and rather scathing.  Their media release says:

“The number one priority has to be reducing emissions to meet the targets and ensure a safe climate for future generations, but it’s not clear if or how the sector’s proposal will do that,” Green Party agriculture spokesperson Teanau Tuiono said.

“We know many farmers and growers want to do the right thing for the climate, but it’s not clear that the sector’s proposals will actually help them shift to low emissions and regenerative farming practices.

“It looks like the sector has missed an opportunity to come up with a solid plan. It’s like they were given a hallway pass and used it to wag class.

“The report itself admits that further work is needed on many of its key proposals. Time is fast running out for the climate. There are only eight more lambing and calving seasons before the 2030 methane target deadline.

“The Green Party’s view is that agricultural emissions pricing needs to effectively lead to emissions reductions. We can’t rely on unrelated freshwater policies, increased forestry, and reducing methane emissions in the waste sector.

“Government Ministers now have a formal decision-making process to go through. Cabinet will need to weigh up advice from many different sources and we’re all waiting for the independent Climate Change Commission’s assessment later this month.”

Others are also scathing.  Professor Ralph Sims from Massey University said:

Given that changing climate is already resulting in an increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme weather impacts, with droughts, floods, storms, etc. already being experienced in many regions, the farming sector has more to lose than most from the ever-increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gas emissions.

“It seems surprising therefore that these recommendations for pricing emissions and incentivising their reduction are not far more ambitious.”

Greenpeace was even more scathing and have labelled the report an absolute lemon.  Spokesperson Christine Rose has said:

“The purpose of He Waka Eke Noa is clear: to obfuscate and delay real action on agricultural emissions. He Waka Eke Noa gives a free pass to intensive dairying, while penalising less intense farming operations like sheep and beef farms, and Māori owned farms, who will pay more than intensive dairy. The agri-industry partnership is like a cartel, protecting its own interests at the cost of everyone else, and the planet,” says Rose.”We all deserve a stable climate, healthy rivers, and safe drinking water. But industrial agriculture, especially intensive dairy, is condemning our rivers, climate and health to contamination, pollution and chaos. Action to reduce agricultural emissions means tackling the dairy industry – New Zealand’s worst climate polluter – and that means far fewer cows, it means cutting synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, and it means backing a shift to more plant-based regenerative organic farming.”

The Government response is cautious.  Damien O’Connor and James Shaw response is:

We will take time to carefully consider the report along with the upcoming advice from the Climate Change Commission on the proposals. The sector and the wider public will have the opportunity to provide their view before Cabinet makes final decisions towards the end of the year on how to effectively price emissions,” Damien O’Connor said.

“We are all committed to pricing agricultural emissions to ensure their reduction from 2025, and reiterate that commitment today.

“It’s really important that we get this right. Customers around the world are demanding higher levels of sustainability in the products they buy, so there is the potential for real competitive advantage here if we can get this right and continue moving to sustainable farming systems that are ready to respond to a warming world.

The Green Party will place Shaw in a uniquely invidious position.

The politics are interesting.  The proposal is very modest but there are a number of farmers who will resist.  How Luxon handles dissent from the farming lobby and within his party will show how committed he is to addressing climate change.

16 comments on “He Waka Eke Noa? ”

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  1. PsyclingLeft.Always 1
    10 June 2022 at 8:43 am

    " But Groundswell thinks that the proposal is a disaster and will put farmers out of business Farmers should be allowed to do what they want because some farms overseas are even worse. If this is the test it is well and truly a race to the bottom and humanity has no chance."

    Well IMO Groundswell arent really worth engaging with. They could be likened to Neanderthal…but they predate them….more akin to Dinosaur in thinking/action.

    You only have to look at and hear the 3 Water protestors (also Groundswellers) to see how single/simple/selfish minded they are.

    https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/southland/hundreds-3-waters-reforms-protest-meeting

    But,yeah,be interesting how Mr Luxon spins this….

  2. Robert Guyton 2
    10 June 2022 at 9:28 am

    Christine Rose has it right, " obfuscate and delay".

    They're holding out for a National Government, holding… holding …

  3. James Simpson 3
    10 June 2022 at 10:35 am

    The government needs to tell Farmers to piss off and join the real world. They need be brought into the ETS now.

    A National government is a real possibility next year which means these things need to be done now, before we get ourselves into another decade of Tory rule.

  4. Ad 4
    10 June 2022 at 11:17 am

    Agriculture is about 5% of our total economy, but with the decline of tourism and export education is returning to around 80% of our exports.

    So in our income, New Zealand works for farmers, not the other way around. That includes the government.

    Farmers don't need Labour and never will, other than for legislative tweaks like DIRA 2. They will just wait this lot out for another year.

    Our main agricultural companies only react slowly to customer concerns about climate. The Prime Minister went on a selling tour for our new Net Zero Beef, which is a start.

    PM launches carbon zero beef in NY – Markets – Beef and Sheep, Exports, Innovation, Sustainability – Farmers Weekly

    In the budget many dairy plants are getting its coal fired dryers replaced with taxpayer cash. Mataura Milk is done and several Fonterra plants are on their way.

    I don't have to like it but Labour will be very lucky to see its water reforms stick within the agricultural sector, let alone anything further.

    • Sacha 4.1
      11 June 2022 at 10:17 am

      Farmers don't need Labour

      Um, mycoplasma bovis.

      Nats were useless on it. Deserved more focus on that.

  5. barry 5
    10 June 2022 at 1:17 pm

    HEWN plan is breathtaking in its lack of any actual action.

    Groundswell, of course, didn't actually read the plan before opposing it.

  6. Blade 6
    10 June 2022 at 4:44 pm

    When I need to know something…I repair to talkback for guidance.

    Here we have Sir Lockwood Smith. His credentials apart from currently working on a free trade agreement are many. The most important of his credentials is:

    Graduated Adelaide University with a PhD in Animal Science( Ruminant) in 1980.

    Warning: Some may find this interview confronting.

    https://omny.fm/shows/the-country/the-country-10-06-22-sir-lockwood-smith-talks-to-j

  7. Mike the Lefty 7
    10 June 2022 at 7:32 pm

    Groundswell are like the farming equivalent of the parliament protestors. They believe they speak for the majority but in reality they only make the loudest noises. And like the parliament protestors the message has been relegated to simply a personal vendetta against Jacinda. Even if farmers were obliged to do absolutely nothing about carbon emissions Groundswell would still protest, because they have the RIGHT – and that's what most important to them. Time for the REAL farmers in NZ to disassociate themselves with the Ford Ranger driving rural townies and urban pretenders that make up the majority of Groundswell.

  8. roblogic 8
    10 June 2022 at 8:14 pm

    The Greens are correct, HWEN is half arsed. But at least it requires farmers to do something which is an improvement on the status quo. Currently they are free riding off everyone else. Farmers need to start paddling the waka a little bit as well.

    • Mike the Lefty 8.1
      11 June 2022 at 7:57 am

      I agree. Farmers always go dog on you if you force something onto them, particularly if you are a Labour government. By asking them to come up with a plan at least you get some co-operation from them, half-arsed though it may be. As long as the farmers think it was their idea all along then at least they will come along for a cheap ride rather than refusing to get on board at all.

  9. Belladonna 9
    10 June 2022 at 8:31 pm

    I think that you are absolutely right that James Shaw is in an invidious position. As the minister responsible, he has to advocate for the legislation which his party believes (and says vociferously) is much too weak.

    It's a very difficult political tightrope for him to walk – let alone explain to the GP membership.
    While half-a-loaf is better than no bread – it's not something that's easy to explain to people who believe that you should be delivering 4 loaves and half-a-dozen hot-cross buns, thanks.

  10. peter sim 10
    10 June 2022 at 9:00 pm

    Climate change is about CO2 emissions. Internal combustion engines, cars, trucks, ships, aeroplanes emit the most in the world.

    NZ tourist "industry" keep bleating about lack of visitors. Those visitors arrive via CO2 emitting transport.

    The internal combustion is the problem.

    O by the way why are new tree plantings regarded as helpful while aircraft fly over the top of them??

    Are the oil companies coming up with answers?

    Meanwhile the media rabbit on about veganism v meat eating. Sigh.

    CO2 is relatively dense compared the rest of the gas mixture in our atmosphere an gravitates toward the planetary surface.

    It forms a very nice insulating layer for the planets surface.

    Try cooling it? Our ice caps are already melting.

    The internal combustion engine is currently the primal source of climate change.

    Coal fired operations, wood fired operations all have and continue to emit vast amounts of CO2.

    Methane is both less dense than atmospheric gases and does not deliver a CO2 insulating blanket

    • Sacha 10.1
      11 June 2022 at 10:26 am

      In this country, farming creates half of our emissions. Transport is not the primary source.

  11. Foreign waka 11
    11 June 2022 at 2:17 pm

    Just to reiterate think global and act local. Did we forget global and pay the rich to perpetrate more of that?

    https://youtu.be/RFHvq-8np1o