NEWS
CANTERBURY A&P
Irish university encourages its students to get work experience in NZ. PAGES 12-13
Show gets ready for its 154th event. PAGES 32-37
RURALNEWS
MANAGEMENT Wairarapa couple look to setting their farm up for the future.
PAGE 28
TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS
NOVEMBER 1, 2016: ISSUE 618
www.ruralnews.co.nz
Sheep, beef to aid dairy? PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz
WILL SHEEP and beef farmers in future grow trees to sell offsets to dairy under the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)? That could work in the event that agriculture is brought under the ETS, says Peter Weir, chair of the Farm Forestry Association’s environment committee. Beef + Lamb NZ has reported that emissions from sheep and beef are down 17% on 1990 levels, he says. “In theory, sheep and beef is in credit – they are certainly not on the hook for emissions; that is the dairy [effect],” Weir told Rural News. He says that will be a relief to struggling sheep and beef farmers. But dairy emissions are “through the roof ” and continuing with Fonterra’s growth agenda of 4% a year. “The growth in emissions has come from dairy but it is unrealistic to expect dairy farmers to plant highly productive Waikato or irrigated Canterbury dairy land. “Sheep and beef hill country cockies have the land to do the planting. But their emissions haven’t grown. So how do you make the sheep and beef cockies [plant trees]? “There is a bit of a conundrum there: the growth in emissions is from dairy and not from sheep and beef, but the sheep and beef farmers are in a position to [let land] revert.” He suggests sheep and beef farmers could plant trees to sell offsets to dairy under the ETS. Planting trees, especially on rolling
hill country, is also better than costneutral for a farmer, he says. Returns on harvesting logs are, over the long term, higher than hill country farming of sheep and cattle. However large areas of North Island hill country are not suitable because of erosion risk. Agriculture does not currently come under the ETS but Climate Change
Minister Paula Bennett told Rural News recently it will be considered as a mechanism to encourage the industry to cut emissions after the recent signing of the Paris agreement on climate change. Weir was commenting on the parliamentary commissioner for the environment’s (PCE) report on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. The PCE did not address the ETS.
However the commissioner did call for the planting of more trees. Immediate opportunities for reducing New Zealand’s emissions lie in new native and plantation forests, the commissioner says and she wants to see real progress in this area. “It might not be the whole solution, but one million hectares of trees would TO PAGE 5
Wet, wet, wet, wet!
Persistent rain during the last four months is causing serious problems for farmers in most regions, but especially in the North Island. Milk production is down because farmers have been unable to make full use of pasture. Federated Farmers Manawatu/Rangitikei president James Stewart is one of many dairy farmers badly hit, the wet being one of his biggest challenges in 20 years on his farm. – See more page 15
DAM BUSTED? PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
THE FUTURE of the controversial Ruataniwha water storage dam in central Hawkes Bay is in limbo, following the recent local body election. The promotor of the scheme, the Hawkes Bay Regional Council, has newly elected members opposed to the dam and another opponent as its new chairman, Rex Graham. The new council met for the first time last week, after which Graham told Rural News of a “change in sentiment” about the project. Two councillors are opposed to the dam, but favour water storage, and he described the rest as “sceptics”. “It’s too early to say if we would put a hold on the scheme and it’s also too early to speculate on what any outcome might be. The majority around the table are sceptics and I guess those of us who are elected are conscious of the fact that the public want to know more,” Graham says. “Some people are really anti the dam and we have to be conscious of and respect that. During our discussions the question was raised as to whether there ever was a mandate for project.” Graham says councillors recognise that the project is a long way down the track and the thought of going back to basics would be interesting. The councillors need to know the risks and benefits of the project TO PAGE 4
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