Editorial: Sensible move
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
The review will assess how the NZ ETS should evolve to support New Zealand in meeting future emissions reduction targets and its ongoing transition to a low emissions economy.
Federated Farmers climate change spokesperson Anders Crofoot says that issues around agriculture are bigger than the NZ ETS and require more time than the review can allow.
"While the review doesn't consider the question of bringing agriculture into the NZ ETS, we still have an interest in the issue. Farmers pay for the emissions from fuel and electricity, like every other New Zealander. Many of our members have forests on their farms, so we will be speaking with the government on these issues," he says.
Crofoot says farmers are contributing to the national effort to reduce emissions.
"Improvements to farm productivity see an average 1.3% increase in the emissions efficiency of farm production. This can only improve with the considerable investment that farmers and the sector more broadly put into science and research to reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions."
"It makes more sense for New Zealand farm production to continue, rather than see less efficient farm production fill the space on supermarket shelves our products currently enjoy," he says.
Federated Farmers says it is looking forward to discussions with government.
