Dairy Action Plan a small step forward

14 June 2017

 

The Government's dairy climate announcement is a small step in the right direction but lacks a serious commitment to actually reducing climate damaging pollution from the dairy industry, the Green Party said today.

“Paula Bennett should have used today to set a firm date for when the dairy industry will need to start paying for the pollution it emits, just like other businesses have to in New Zealand,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw.

“Instead, she announced a framework without real targets and called it a "Dairy Action Plan".

“There are some good initiatives in this package, like the trial of on-farm recording, but National still hasn’t given farmers any certainty about when they will have to start paying for and reducing climate pollution on the farm.

“No farmer wants their child to inherit a world with longer droughts, and chronic water shortages. Farmers want leadership from government and a real commitment to pollution cuts.

“More and more farmers know that it's possible to both reduce climate pollution and boost profits on the farm, but they’re being let down by a government that's more interested in pushing pollution-intensive dairying.

"The dairy sector accounts for over half of agricultural climate pollution, and that pollution has increased by a whopping 68 percent since National came into government," said Mr Shaw.

Latest Climate Change Announcements

Story

Green voice crucial for climate action

The Green Party is today welcoming Labour’s climate manifesto, but is clear that much more will need to be done to tackle the climate crisis.
Read More

Story

Climate future of communities on the line this election

Green Party co leader James Shaw attended a South Dunedin Future street meeting today to discuss local responses to climate change.
Read More

Story

National’s climate pledge a joke

Today’s pledge from the National Party to deliver net zero carbon by 2050 is a bad-faith, disingenuous, and empty promise.
Read More

Story

National needs to come clean about climate cuts

The National Party needs to come clean about the impact of its plan to raid the climate budget and cancel $2 billion of investment in action to cut...
Read More

Story

New $750m fund part of Climate-Safe Communities plan to protect towns and cities from flooding

The Green Party has today announced a Climate-Safe Communities plan to both cut emissions and protect our communities from the impact of climate ch...
Read More

Story

James Shaw - Climate Safe Communities Speech

A family whose home was flooded to the ceiling of the ground floor. The kitchen, dining and living rooms filled as completely as a fish-tank.
Read More

Latest Primary Industries Announcements

Petition

Take action to protect our oceans

We’re taking the health of our oceans seriously and our Thriving Oceans Plan sets out exactly how the Green Party will protect them so we all can e...
TAKE ACTION

Policy

Agriculture and Rural Affairs Policy

The Green Party will support the agricultural sector through a just transition to reduce its emissions, minimise harmful inputs and practices, rege...
See More

Policy

Forestry Policy

The Green Party will support a viable, innovative and stable forestry industry and ensure plantation forests are managed and harvested in alignment...
See More

Story

Review of live animal exports needed to protect animal welfare and New Zealand’s agricultural brand

The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor to review New Zealand’s live animal exports rules. “New Ze...
Read More

Story

Cameras on boats must be quickly scaled up: Greens

The Green Party is glad to finally see the rollout of cameras on selected fishing boats but believes it needs to be scaled-up fast. “We need camera...
Read More

Story

More measures to protect Hector’s dolphins

Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage are accelerating work to improve protection of the nationally endangered Hect...
Read More