The He Waka Eke Noa primary sector partnership with central government says it is on track for 25 percent of farmers to be measuring their emissions by the end of the year, Marc Daalder reports
As submissions closed on the Climate Change Commission's historic draft advice on decarbonising New Zealand, the primary sector is hailing the accomplishment of a crucial milestone: Some 11,000 farmers are now measuring their greenhouse gas emissions.
He Waka Eke Noa: The Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership was set up in 2019 as an agreement between the primary sector and central government to move towards all farmers measuring their emissions by the end of 2022 and a price on agricultural emissions by 2025.
In order for farmers to pay for the emissions from their livestock and produce, they have to know how much they emit in the first place. Already, 11,000 farmers are able to measure their emissions, He Waka Eke Noa programme director Kelly Forster said, and a quarter of the country's farmers will be doing so by the end of the year.
Next year will pose greater challenges, however, with 100 percent of farmers accurately measuring their emissions and a scheduled review of the progress of He Waka Eke Noa by the Climate Change Commission.
"All farmers knowing their numbers by December 2022 is an ambitious target," Forster said.
"He Waka Eke Noa’s partners are committed to supporting their farmers. This includes development of new calculators to support farmers across sectors to know their GHG footprint and how to reduce it, well before our pricing system is ready to kick in."
Alongside the announcement that 11,000 farmers were already measuring their emissions, Forster revealed two new information sources developed by He Waka Eke Noa. A farm planning guidance document offers 17 ways farmers can begin to reduce their emissions, including selective breeding for more efficient animals, culling less productive animals, reducing herd sizes, converting less productive farmland to forestry and better management of animal waste.
The document also offers a handful of tips for planning for the impacts of climate change on farms.
A second document produced by He Waka Eke Noa is a review of existing tools for measuring greenhouse gas emissions from farms. Seven tools, including Overseer and models developed by Fonterra, the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and Horticulture NZ, were reviewed for what gases they measure, from what livestock and in how much detail. The MfE model, which is based in an Excel spreadsheet, was the most widely applicable tool.
Forster said more tools, including one developed by Beef + Lamb, would be reviewed over the next quarter. Which tool might be required to be used for emissions pricing remains unclear, but any tool can be used to reach the 2022 target of all farmers measuring their emissions.
"The message is, know your numbers and have a plan," Forster said.
"Measurement is key. Our farmers understanding their numbers means they are in a position to decide how to make changes to their farming practices to mitigate or reduce emissions."
