Source: Federated Farmers
Federated Farmers Whanganui is urging the Government to urgently close loopholes and strengthen rules to stop whole-farm carbon forestry conversions on productive land.
“Farming plays a huge role in our local economy, but we’re increasingly seeing sheep displaced by permanent pine trees,” says provincial president Ben Fraser.
“That’s a huge concern for those of us who live rurally, but it’s equally concerning for those who live in our towns. At the end of the day, we’re all one community, supporting the same local economy.”
Fraser says farming is a big income earner for the region and generates employment both on farm and in the supporting industries.
“That money flows right through our entire economy.
“Lock-up-and-leave pine forests just aren’t going to generate the same level of economic activity. They may create carbon credits and pest problems, but they don’t create jobs.”
Federated Farmers has been highly critical of the Government’s proposed carbon forestry rules, saying they don’t go anywhere near far enough to be effective.
The Government’s proposal is to cap the amount of farmland that can be registered in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) at 25%.
But that limit applies only to land use capability (LUC) classes 1 to 5 – the land least likely to be targeted for carbon farming in the first place.
“Only 12% of recent whole-farm conversations to carbon forestry have actually happened on land classes 1 to 5 anyway, so it’s not really a solution at all,” Fraser says.
“The remaining 88% have happened on land classes 6 and 7, which also happens to be the land where most of our sheep and beef farms operate.
“LUC is a tool designed for determining the land’s ‘capability’ – it’s even in the name.”
Fraser says the system has been used to set rules and limits, but capability is often confused with productivity.
“Sure, we don’t grow avocados or kiwifruit on our hills but that doesn’t mean the land isn’t any less important.
“It’s productive sheep-breeding country that’s critical in New Zealand’s farming and food production system.
“Lambs born on the hills are either sold up to weight or flicked off earlier as trade to fattening blocks, where entire farming systems are reliant on a reliable source of stock.
“If productive sheep and beef farms continue to be replaced by permanent pine forests, soon we’ll be bartering pinecones for a new pair of boots.”
Fraser adds that class 6 and 7 land is far from barren or marginal – it’s the picturesque hill country that features on postcards, calendars and TV shows celebrating New Zealand farming life.
“This is the landscape many Kiwis are most proud of – the classic sheep and beef hill country that defines our rural identity.
“It’s the stunning farmland we see showcased on Country Calendar or in Kia Ora magazine, but this is what we’re at risk of losing.”
Fraser says the impacts of carbon forestry on the Central North Island can already be clearly seen in places like Taumarunui, where local communities, rural schools and businesses have been decimated.
“I would hate to see the same thing happen to Taihape or Whanganui.
“Once that land’s planted in pine trees for carbon forestry, it’s gone for good and never coming back. Is that really the future we want for our country?”
Under the Government’s proposed rules, land classes 6 and 7 will receive little to no protection and whole farms will still be able to be planted for carbon credits.
“The most frustrating thing is that we 100% support what the Government is trying to achieve here – protecting productive farmland from being planted in pine trees,” Fraser says.
“The issue is that the legislative fix they’re proposing isn’t actually going to solve the problem.
“There’s an old saying that if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly.
“I’d really urge the Government to reflect on those words, because this job is definitely worth doing properly.”
Federated Farmers is calling on the Government to work with farmers and rural communities to find a practical solution that will actually work.