Source: Federated Farmers
Federated Farmers is slamming The Opportunity Party’s climate change policy, describing it as ideological, unaffordable and totally unnecessary nonsense.
“The Opportunity Party have now exposed themselves as an extreme left-wing, anti-farming party,” says Federated Farmers climate spokesperson Richard Dawkins.
“First, they proposed a totally unworkable and unaffordable land tax on rural New Zealand that would strip $700 million dollars a year out of farmers’ back pockets.
“Now they’re talking about a climate tax for farmers and unscientific methane reduction targets that go further than even Jacinda Ardern and James Shaw dared to go.”
Opportunity have said they will introduce a methane reduction target of 35 to 47%. Jacinda Ardern and James Shaw introduced a methane reduction target of 24 to 47%.
“The last time New Zealand looked at introducing a climate tax for farmers it was an absolute disaster,” Dawkins says.
“The failed He Waka Eke Noa project would have put 20% of sheep and beef farmers, and 5% of dairy farmers, completely out of business.
“Is that really the future we want for our country? Where productive farms are shut down and replaced with endless pine trees and pests as far as the eye can see?
“That kind of net zero nirvana might sound good to Qiulae Wong, but it’s like nothing short of a nightmare for the rural communities that will actually be impacted.”
Dawkins says it’s laughable that The Opportunity Party claim they want a return to cross-party consensus on climate policy.
“Cross-party consensus between who? The extreme left of the Opportunity Party, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori?
“They’re the only ones proposing these kinds of La-La Land climate policies and they’re totally out of step with New Zealand. Polls show only 20% of Kiwis are voting for them.
“National, New Zealand First, ACT, and Labour all have sensible climate policies and have ruled out campaigning on a climate tax for farmers,” Dawkins says.
“These kinds of ideological, idealistic and unaffordable policies are precisely why the Opportunity Party should be allowed nowhere near the Beehive.
“The Opportunity Party would be a total disaster for rural New Zealand.”