MPI defends cost of new biosecurity lab
The head of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) biosecurity operation, Stuart Anderson, has defended the cost and the need for a Plant Healht and Environment Laboratory (PHEL) being built in Auckland.
The annual funding round for the Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research (GHGIR) fund is now open, with $8.9 million available over the next three years for new GHGIR projected.
The annual Greenhouse Gas Inventory reports on human-induced emissions and removals of greenhouse gases for energy, industrial processes, agriculture, land use, land-use change and forestry, and waste.
Steve Penno, MPI’s director investment programmes, says the GHGIR is focused on improving MPI’s knowledge of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, to ensure the best possible data is available to manage emissions and inform policy decisions.
“This year we’re looking for very specific proposals in 10 priority areas, ranging from modelling variations in dairy cattle body weight to wetland mapping,” Penno says.
“The outcomes will inform MPI’s reporting to the New Zealand Greenhouse Gas Inventory and the United Nations under the Paris Climate Agreement.”
Applications close on 19 July 2023, with successful proposals expected to be announced in October.
