New Zealand Farmers Global Warming Heroes

31 July 2007

New Zealand Farmers Global Warming Heroes

Food miles is a false argument and instead of being blamed for New Zealand’s high emissions New Zealand farmers should be recognised as global warming heroes, says Frank Brenmuhl of Federated Farmers of New Zealand.

His comments follow a Lincoln University report into greenhouse gas emissions which found that British dairying produces 34 percent more green house gas emissions than New Zealand dairying on a like for like basis (per kilogram of milksolids).

“These results are no surprise to New Zealand farmers. They know that production systems and not transport are the major contributors to the differences in greenhouse gas emissions and energy use.

“If production from New Zealand was reduced or stopped, the world would be significantly worse off in its efforts to reduce emissions. If New Zealand food was replaced by food produced in the Northern Hemisphere, where much more energy is used in agriculture, overall emissions would go up.

“The world is better off with New Zealand agriculture continuing to produce. That is because meat and dairy products produced in New Zealand use less energy than food produced almost anywhere else.

“The international efforts to counter global warming mean consumers are very interested in how much of the earth’s resources are used to make a product.
It may be that increasing greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand to produce more food is, overall, a better way to curb climate change,” said Mr Brenmuhl, the Federation’s climate change spokesman.

ENDS