Ministry for the Environment to sponsor Ballance Farm Environment Award
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
The Ministry for the Environment's 2021 Greenhouse Gas Inventory says that for the year 2019, agriculture was New Zealand's biggest emitting sector.
The Ministry for the Environment’s (MfE) 2021 Greenhouse Gas Inventory revealed that for the year 2019, agriculture was among the two largest contributors to New Zealand’s gross Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.
The report, which documents all of New Zealand’s human-generated greenhouse gas emissions and removals since 1990, shows that New Zealand’s gross emissions were 82.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2-e) in 2019.
The report states that emissions for the agriculture sector made up 48% of New Zealand’s gross emissions.
It also states that between 1990 and 2019, gross emissions increased by 26%, largely down to increases in methane from dairy cattle digestive systems and carbon dioxide from road transport.
On the whole, gross emissions in 2019 comprised 46% carbon dioxide, 42% methane, 10% nitrous oxide and 2% fluorinated gases.
The Greenhouse Gas Inventory is collated as one of New Zealand’s mandatory reporting obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol.
It informs MfE policy recommendations on climate change and includes data that helps monitor New Zealand’s progress towards emissions reduction targets.
Federated Farmers says it is cautiously welcoming signals from the Government that a major shake-up of local government is on its way.
Ashburton cropping and dairy farmer Matthew Paton has been elected to the board of rural services company, Ruralco.
The global agricultural landscape has entered a new phase where geopolitics – not only traditional market forces – will dictate agricultural trade flows, prices, and production decisions.
National Lamb Day is set to return in 2026 with organisers saying the celebrations will be bigger than ever.
Fonterra has dropped its forecast milk price mid-point by 50c as a surge in global milk production is putting downward pressure on commodity prices.
The chance of a $10-plus milk price for this season appears to be depleting.

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