New Zealand proposes to reduce agricultural emissions

WELLINGTON (NEW ZEALAND): The New Zealand government has released for consultation a proposal to reduce agricultural emissions, helping give the country "a competitive advantage in green conscious global marketplace", Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Tuesday.

The proposal will also put New Zealand on track to meet Zero Carbon Act 2030 methane reduction target, Xinhua news agency quoted Ardern as saying.

The government has included many of the recommendations of the agriculture sector groups for farm-level emissions pricing, and proposed modifications in the consultation document based on advice from the Climate Change Commission.

"This is an important step forward in New Zealand's transition to a low emissions future and delivers on our promise to price agriculture emissions from 2025," Ardern said.

The proposal aims to give New Zealand farmers control over their farming system, providing the ability to reduce costs through revenue raised from the system being recycled back to farmers, which will fund further research, tools and technology and incentives to reduce emissions, said the Prime Minister.

"New Zealand is taking on the challenge of becoming one of the first nations in the world to price agricultural greenhouse gas emissions," said Honorary Professor Troy Baisden of the University of Auckland School of Environment.

Robyn Dynes, a senior scientist at AgResearch, said this approach will provide clear incentives to reduce emissions, with some of the revenue generated from the pricing system directed back into research to identify and develop greenhouse gas mitigations.