«There’s a political consensus, regardless of who wins the election, that action must be taken,» DairyNZ senior policy advisor Kara Lok told rural professionals in New Plymouth on Friday.
Half of New Zealand’s GHG emissions came from agriculture and the dairy industry accounted for 46 per cent of total agricultural emissions, Lok said.
To make a difference to the dairy industry’s emissions footprint, a lot of work would have to be done on-farm, where 85 per cent of emissions are produced, DairyNZ says.
«When you’re looking at dairying as a percentage of the country’s total emissions, we make up about a quarter,» she said.
Eighty-five per cent of dairying emissions were produced on-farm, 10 per cent during processing and the final 5 per cent through transport.
«If we really want to make a difference to the dairy industry’s footprint, a lot of the action will have to be taken on farm,» Lok said.
«We’re already a world leader in producing emission efficient milk. A lot of that is due to the fact that we have year-round grazing, hight pasture production per hectare, a low cow replacement rate and relatively low use of supplementary feed.»
However, already being a leader in emission efficient production meant cutting emissions further could be challenging, Lok said.
«New Zealand has taken on a target under the Paris Agreement and there is that political consensus that action is required from the agricultural sector.
«Under the Paris Agreement, New Zealand has taken on a target of 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. If you’re looking at 1990 baseline, you’re looking at an 11 per cent reduction,» Lok said.
«There’s been quite a lot of discussion about this target and that it’s not seen as particularly ambitious. In actual fact, in terms of New Zealand’s emissions profile in that half of our emissions come from agriculture and there is limited scope at this point in time to reduce those emissions, this is actually a very challenging target.»
In partnership with Fonterra and supported by the Ministry for Primary Industries and Ministry for the Environment, DairyNZ had created the Dairy Action for Climate Change 2017-18 document.
«The plan is very much focussed on building a foundation and capability in the sector to get people to understand that this is something that will have an impact,» Lok said.
«We’re looking to find some dairy farmers who are passionate about this issue and want to start that discussion, not only with other farmers but also with the public and the media.»
The group was also aiming to create a lower emissions dairy industry by establishing 10-15 monitor farms on which farmers would demonstrate GHG reduction. By selecting a range of farms using different systems and in different regions, it was hoped the case studies would quantify the effect of lower emissions on productivity and profitability.
Through the Dairy Action for Climate Change plan, Fonterra had committed to running an on-farm GHG recording pilot involving up to 100 of the co-op’s suppliers to help farmers better understand their GHG footprint.
«This is about helping diary farmers understand their GHG footprint and how they compare with other farms,» Lok said.
«It’s very much about education – if we want farmers to take action, they need to understand what their footprint is and what the key drivers are in terms of emissions.»
Source: Stuff
Link: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/96655899/dairy-industry-committed-to-cutting-greenhouse-gas-emissions
