Tuesday, 14 May 2019 09:17

Climate change consultation was ‘a farce’

Written by  Sudesh Kissun
Andrew McGiven. Andrew McGiven.

Federated Farmers Waikato president Andrew McGiven believes animal numbers would have to be effectively halved to meet the 2050 target set by the Government's new Zero Carbon Amendment Bill.

He says food producers are very worried about the proposed bill. 

“Even more galling is that no trees that farmers have planted in the last two decades to improve water quality and help with other environmental outcomes may be used as an ‘offset’ because the [required] methane cuts are [stated] in gross terms.

“So the only method is to halve the amount of feed to a ruminant animal, but that will in many cases create animal welfare issues.”

McGiven says the Bill showed him “what a complete farce the recent Interim Climate Change Committee (ICCC) consultation was with industry."

While farmers are unhappy about the unrealistic targets, environment group Greenpeace is also upset with the Zero Carbon Amendment Bill but for different reasons.

Greenpeace executive director Dr Russel Norman says the Bill grants no ability for enforcing its climate change targets.

“What we’ve got here is a reasonably ambitious piece of legislation that’s then had the teeth ripped out of it.” 

More like this

'Doomsday' overkill

OPINION: In a memo, rich guy Bill Gates didn't become a climate change denier, but he did give the world a dose of common sense, saying we should redirect efforts away from the campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and instead focus on other ways to improve human lives and reduce suffering.

Featured

National

Machinery & Products

New pick-up for Reiter R10 merger

Building on experience gained during 10 years of making mergers/ windrowers, Austrian company Reiter has announced the secondgeneration pick-up on…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Trees cut for COP30?

OPINION: As the COP30 talkfest ended, claims are surfacing that the controversial Avenida Liberdade - a four-lane 13km highway which…

Badge of honour!

OPINION: Milking It reckons New Zealand should take a bow after winning the 'Fossil of the Day' award at COP30…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter