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Opinion
FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – February 14, 2022
Why is the Govt targeting ag? Alternative View
Alan Emerson
I DON’T expect much from politicians of any colour, but the current impasse on He Waka Eke Noa (HWEN) has me stuffed. HWEN was set up to enable the agricultural sector and government to develop a workable plan to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Its chief executive was quoted saying that the organisation was trying to drive change without putting people out of business, which is a credible position in my view. Sadly politicians aren’t on the same side of the discussion. Climate Change Minister James Shaw certainly isn’t. What they’re hoping to achieve, heaven only knows. Let’s assume we really want to reduce the threat of climate change. That we honestly want the world to be a better place. If that is the Government’s intention it is worthy, but whatever happens in New Zealand will have no effect on the
global climate. Anything we do is therefore aimed at being seen as a good citizen, nothing more, nothing less. Whatever actions we take may look good, outstanding even, but for the state of the world climate they will achieve nothing. In addition, as actions speak louder than words, the world action on climate change leaves much to be desired. For a start, the use of the world’s biggest polluter, coal, increased by 9% last year. It is the largest source of global emissions. Here we did our bit importing over a million tonnes of lowquality, high-polluting coal from Indonesia, while exporting the same amount of high-quality coal. We used over three million tonnes of the pollutant. Further, the Australian government subsidised its oil and coal industries by $A10.3 billion last year. Oil and coal are responsible for 74% of Australia’s emissions, which total 528.7 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent. Returning to the home front, it is important to factor that our agricultural industry is the most GHG efficient in the world. Any kilogram of food not produced here will incur a greater carbon footprint when produced overseas. Add to that, food production is currently the only show in town for the NZ economy. Tourism doesn’t exist now or will
in the near future and neither will international students. It is also important to factor that when those industries return so will their considerable carbon footprint. All of which begs the question as to why the Government, certainly in the form of Shaw, has such a downer on the food production sector, especially when the Paris Accord rates food production differently.
Returning to the home front, it is important to factor that our agricultural industry is the most GHG efficient in the world. Any kilogram of food not produced here will incur a greater carbon footprint when produced overseas.
Its worthy goal is to “increase the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low GHG emissions developed in a manner that does not threaten food production”.
Why are we ignoring that and embarking on a crusade that will threaten our food production, increase the world’s GHG emissions from food production and crash the NZ economy? Why aren’t we factoring in low-methane livestock as is being developed? Why aren’t we encouraging methane inhibitors? So now we have HWEN. Our industry bodies and government officials have worked through two options. It now wants feedback from farmers on those options. Shaw’s contribution has been to distance himself from both, saying “serious price is the best tool for government to reduce emissions”. For that read further taxing farmers at a time when farm costs are going through the roof. Didn’t Shaw talk to his officials while the options were being developed? After all, he is the Associate Minister for the Environment and MfE officials were part of HWEN. Has he already made up his mind making the entire HWEN process and consultation a complete sham? It would appear that way. Government wants feedback on the two HWEN proposals by April, and Beef and Lamb and Dairy NZ had farmer meetings planned to discuss the options. Didn’t government think of the busy time of the farming year
when it set the deadline? The levy organisations and Federated Farmers have asked for an extension to the timeline as farmers were busy and Omicron is nigh. Feds have written to the Prime Minister pleading for that to happen. An extension has been given of one measly month, ignoring both the threat of covid and the needs of the farm. The HWEN alternatives are complex subjects with limited potential to discuss via Zoom meetings. Shaw should know that, as he insisted on physically going with a large team to the COP talkfest in Glasgow. Why can’t he give NZ’s largest export earner the same courtesy? Holding meetings through a red light framework that limits attendance is ridiculous and a real threat to NZ’s exports. Further, it will inevitably expose farmers to Omicron, which is insane. It just seems to me that Shaw and his brigade in Wellington know or care nothing about agriculture and wouldn’t recognise a sheep from a goat. Sorry, by their actions they’d know a goat.
Your View Alan Emerson is a semi-retired Wairarapa farmer and businessman: dath.emerson@gmail.com
The ugly side of protests From the Ridge
Steve Wyn-Harris
THE most disturbing event I’ve seen in recent times was the storming of the United States Capitol building on January 6, 2021. There were up to two thousand enraged Trump supporters, intent on overturning his election defeat from a couple of months earlier as the legislators, including Trump’s own vice president Pence, went through the formalities that would lead to Biden becoming the next president. These people occupied, vandalised and looted this bastion of US democracy and in the process, five people lost their lives, many were injured, including 138 police officers and four police officers who participated in the incident took their lives in the following months. It was shocking because despite what the US had gone through during the Trump presidency, the US remains a cornerstone and leader of Western democracy.
If this sort of near anarchy could happen in America with all its safeguards, police, and military resources, one couldn’t help thinking that it could happen anywhere. On Monday following Waitangi Day we were driving back from a wedding heading for home and came into Dannevirke. The town was chock-full of protestors and their vehicles heading towards Wellington. I don’t mind a good protest and have been in a few myself since my student days. Protest is a fundamental right in a functioning democracy and acts as a pressure valve for frustration and for those who feel their voices are not being heard. Not being on social media nor having followed news reports during the time of the wedding, I was unaware of the protest, so was interested to read the banners and slogans scrawled across the vehicles. A lot were against the vaccine, against the vaccine mandates and against mask use. But there were also signs denouncing the government, 1080 protests, unpleasant profanities, a couple of swastikas, heaps of New Zealand flags, with many upside down, and even Trump supporters waving American flags and pictures of Donald. I think he’d be pleased and bemused at his presence in a small town in a
small country at the bottom of the world. When I got home, I googled the protest up and had a better understanding of what their intentions and frustrations were. I texted three Wellington mates who it turned out were also unaware of what was heading in their direction and told them that given the number of vehicles we had just encountered and the talk on social media; they were going to have a very disrupted day tomorrow. We all know what it’s like just getting into Wellington on a normal day. The disruption obviously did happen on that first day, but my concern that something worse might spill over was unfounded. It was Parliament’s first sitting day of the year. But the next few days have seen increased anti-social and illegal behaviour. There have been much bigger and more disruptive demonstrations in our nation’s capital. The Māori Land March in 1975, for example, saw 4000 people walk into Wellington, causing huge disruption and despite claims that this is the first time Parliament’s grounds have been occupied, 60 people did camp overnight. However, these protestors are hassling passing public for wearing masks and the anger directed at the media means they
BROKEN TELEPHONE: While every nation has its right to peaceful protests, Steve Wyn-Harris believes the message is often lost in the manner in which it is delivered.
are now having to report from safe distances. Not only is peaceful protest a fundamental right of a functioning democracy, but so is a free press. I feel sorry for the police who are in the position of holding that thin blue line against a crowd of angry people. Some of them have already been injured. The police also have the risk of the virus, given none of the protestors are wearing masks and a substantial number are not vaccinated. If this event doesn’t become the super-spreader we await as they return to their homes, it will be a miracle and one would have to wonder if we really are “God’s Own” as Prime Minister Richard
Seddon popularised at the start of the 20th century. His statue overlooks these goings on at Parliament. Where we are fortunate is that all the political parties represented in Parliament support the science that the vaccination programme is based on and so the dissent is not also being played out within Parliament. At the time of writing, I fervently hope that this doesn’t escalate and that the protestors feel they have made their point and return home to their families, homes and jobs.
Your View Steve Wyn-Harris is a Central Hawke’s Bay sheep and beef farmer. swyn@xtra.co.nz
