New Climate Action Centre to support Kiwi farmers

Kirikiriroa - A new climate action centre has been launched to support New Zealand farmers reduce agriculture emissions through R&D investment.

The centre will help farmers with emissions reducing tools sooner than expected.

Indicative funding commitment will climb to $35 million year by joint venture partners, seeing at least $170 million invested over the next four years.

ANZCO Foods, Fonterra, Ravensdown, Silver Fern Farms, Synlait and Rabobank are partnering with government on the projects.

The focus is supporting farmers to grow their exports, reduce emissions, and maintain our international competitive edge into the future, prime minister Jacinda Ardern says.

“Farmers are the backbone of our economy and we have to secure the future growth of our primary industry exports, by maintaining our competitive edge in a volatile global market.”

As part of the centre’s work to help farmers government in partnering with the sector to invest $27 million into three new projects to decrease emissions and promote sustainable economic growth.

Since 2017 support for primary industries export growth has seen a 39 per cent increase, which now contributes over $53 billion to the economy. 

Growing exports provide greater economic security for all New Zealanders, and lifts the quality of living through higher wages, new jobs, and greater stability during economic downturns.

Aotearoa needs to face the future to maintain a competitive edge internationally and keep giving customers every reason to continue buying New Zealand’s food and fibre.

An investment of $7.8 million will go alongside ruminant biotech’s $9.5 million contribution to develop a methane inhibiting capsule, or bolus, which delivers at least a 70 per cent reduction in methane.

This will not only help reach emissions reductions targets but will set New Zealand up as a leader in the methane inhibitor industry globally.

Sheep and beef farmers are being help to increase supply of low methane rams through genetic selection, introducing more low methane traits into the national sheep flock.

The third project will invest around $6 million in urgently needed greenhouse gas measurement equipment and infrastructure. Product developers need greater access to testing equipment to prove the efficacy of new products and get tools in the hands of farmers sooner.

The agriculture sector contributes nearly 50 per cent of Aotearoa’s gross greenhouse gas emissions and around 91 per cent of our biogenic methane emissions.