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Unclear how deer farmers will meet emissions targets

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Deer farmers will be looking to implement some novel intervention if they are to achieve climate change emission reduction targets.
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Mark McCoard & Phil McKenzie | February 23, 2021 from GlobalHQ on Vimeo.

Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) chief executive Inness Moffat says while the industry welcomes many aspects of the Climate Change Commission’s interim report, it will be a challenge for deer farmers.

Moffat says it is unclear how deer farmers will meet their greenhouse emission targets.

“It will be a challenge for deer farmers with extensive farming systems to achieve its emission reduction targets without some novel intervention,” Moffat said.

The headline message for livestock farmers is that if the commission’s recommendations are adopted, they will need to reduce their net methane emissions from 2018 levels by 13% by 2030, a further 7% by 2035 and another 4% by 2050.

“We need to make our animals and farming systems more efficient, producing more venison and velvet form reduced feed intake, potentially on a smaller grazing area,” he said.

“The challenge for livestock farmers is to maintain profitability, while reducing total feed intake.

“These targets will be challenging for extensive livestock systems.”

DINZ supports the work of the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium, which is investing in finding methane inhibitors that will work for NZ’s pastoral farming systems.

But Moffat says some aspects of the report require further information or explanation.

“Work is also needed on how to treat farmers who are already doing the right thing by the climate so they are not unfairly penalised,” he said.

It is unclear where the large-scale afforestation proposed in the report will be located and whether it will be at the expense of deer and drystock farming.

“Many deer farms already contain a good mix of productive pasture and retired native or exotic forestry,” he said.

He says a reduction in livestock numbers by 15% as highlighted in the report seems to be an extrapolation of historic trends and historic increases in productivity.

“While the focus should be on reducing net emissions, it is unclear when these production trends will reach a biological limit,” he said.

“The report does not specify if the expected farm efficiency gains are spread evenly throughout the industries and regions.”

DINZ welcomes the recognition that all New Zealanders, not just farmers, need to make major changes.

“The methane emissions from livestock are not the big bogey that many commentators have portrayed them to be,” he said.

“The real challenge lies in reducing emissions of long-lived gases, especially carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.”

Moffat says recognition in the report that NZ livestock farms are the most efficient in the world is pleasing.

“Replacing them with carbon forests, on all except our least productive land, makes very little long-term sense – environmentally or economically.”

DINZ will be further analysing the finer detail in the content of the report over the coming weeks and preparing its submission.

Deer farmers are invited to offer their views on the report to DINZ by contacting lindsay.fung@deernz.org

Public submissions on the commission’s draft report close on March 14.

“I encourage interested farmers and industry representatives to visit the commission’s website to get more information and to consider making a submission,” Moffat said.

https://haveyoursay.climatecommission.govt.nz/

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