The approach to valuing livestock while trying to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions is converging between the European Union and New Zealand, following the release of the first-of-its-kind EU livestock strategy.
But it comes as the Climate Change Commission warns the agriculture sector of Aotearoa this week that domestic climate policies are insufficient to meet emissions reduction commitments both domestically and internationally.
The European Commission released its new Livestock Strategy earlier this month, taking a “positive, balanced narrative” towards livestock, considering them as economic assets to enable thriving rural communities across the bloc.
EU leaders had long debated reducing livestock numbers to tackle agricultural emissions, like in the Netherlands and Ireland, but in a u-turn, they now sought to support farmers in cutting emissions while securing the production of protein and food.
The commission said in its communication to the European Parliament, rural areas held incredible potential to become a “powerhouse of European resilience, sustainable growth and preparedness”.
“The Commission promotes a positive, balanced narrative on livestock, recognising both its challenges, including the environmental and climate footprint, and the sector’s contributions to food supply, employment, territorial cohesion, biodiversity, and cultural value,” it said.
“Resilience will be bolstered through coordinated efforts to combat climate change, strengthen biosecurity, tackle social challenges and enhance market and supply chain robustness.”
The strategy proposed several policy moves underway in New Zealand, including excluding a pricing mechanism on agricultural emissions, incentivising farmers’ emissions reduction efforts, and a split-gas approach to greenhouse gas emissions reporting.
Under the split-gas model, methane was considered a short-lived pollutant in the atmosphere, despite trapping more heat, versus longer-lived carbon dioxide coming from livestock.
The approach was adopted towards domestic emissions reduction targets last year.
Farming group among ‘lobby’ efforts on methane
Red meat farming group Beef and Lamb New Zealand (BLNZ) welcomed the EU’s new strategy towards livestock, particularly the split-gas approach.
Chairperson and farmer Kate Acland said governments needed to keep being urged to take this approach.
“I think the most significant shift for New Zealand was actually the acknowledgement that biogenic methane, so the that comes from ruminant animals, is different from fossil fuel emissions and should be treated differently, because of the short-lived gas,” she said.
“That is something that New Zealand has absolutely led on, and that has been referenced directly in this strategy.”
Kate Acland says it’s a matter of bringing attention to the science around methane versus long-live gases.
© Clare Toia-Bailey / www.image-central.co.nz
Acland said it was pushing the New Zealand government to take a split-gas approach to Paris Accord agreements.
She said the argument within government that the Europeans would not accept it had clearly changed.
“Beef and Lamb New Zealand has been really active in this space,” she said.
“It’s not so much lobbying, it’s actually just bringing attention to the science around methane versus long-lived gases.”
New Zealand International Business Forum executive director Felicity Roxburgh said the new EU livestock strategy marked a small but highly significant shift for New Zealand.
“In this strategy, they adopt an approach which is much more similar to the New Zealand approach,” she said.
“There’s been a lot of lobbying work by Beef and Lamb and other New Zealand advocacy organisations, along with some in Ireland, to try and show the EU that there are different ways to deal with methane.”
Roxburgh said the recent NZ-EU free trade agreement had expanded two-way trade, and the new livestock approach could benefit exporters.
“The more that we have the same standards and regulations, the more that helps our exporters do business with each other.”
Around 17 nations and farming entities including BLNZ advocated the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to adopt a split-gas approach to greenhouse gas emissions reporting.
New Zealand on-track to miss all climate targets – CCC
Agriculture accounted for 53 percent of New Zealand’s gross emissions, but the Climate Change Commission (CCC) warned this week that reductions were slowing, with insufficient policies driving the sector to make the reductions needed.
In its new monitoring report, the CCC said the country was at significant risk of missing all its climate targets, including for biogenic methane from livestock.
It warned about the effects of removing emissions pricing for agriculture on reduction efforts, and uncertainty and over-reliance on technological farm solutions.
A number of factors point to animal numbers being higher than expected, the monitoring report says.
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Meanwhile, livestock numbers particularly cattle were expected to increase, due to good prices, which “may increase emissions despite efficiency gains”.
“Current market drivers, such as high milk and meat prices, point to animal numbers being higher than projected and emissions increasing, while current market incentives are not designed to deliver absolute emissions reductions,” it read.
“With rising livestock units, risks that future dairy cow numbers could be higher, and uneven incentives, there is a high risk that emissions will not decline as expected.”
It said the country’s overall policy package was not a credible framework for reducing emissions at the rate required, nor for beyond 2030.
“A strong reliance on technology presents risks: while some tools are available, others face delays or unresolved uncertainties, and there is no clear contingency if they fail or are not adopted,” it said.
“The risk of over-reliance on technological solutions with high uncertainty can be addressed by strengthening the transition to high-value, low-emissions land uses and other mitigation options.”
However, the expected failure to meet climate targets has been refuted by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, on Thursday.
‘Reciprocal’ animal welfare standards within EU
New Zealand campaigners who had long advocated for the same animal welfare standards to be applied to local and imported product were feeling buoyed by proposed new ‘reciprocal’ standards in the EU.
Animal Policy International had long advocated for agricultural imports into New Zealand like pork, that dominated the market, to face the same requirements local farmers had to.
Now, the EU livestock strategy wanted “reciprocal requirements” for imported animal products to its locally-produced products, which would likely affect chicken and pig sectors, with enforcement to be applied.
“Third countries may have lower animal welfare practices while EU citizens expect all products on the EU market to follow high welfare standards,” said the EU Commission in its communication to the EU Parliament.
Animal Policy International co-executive director Rainer Kravets said New Zealand risked falling behind, as the EU committed to welfare standards on imports.
“The EU has confirmed what independent legal analysis and precedent have consistently found: applying domestic welfare standards to imports is practical, WTO-compatible and increasingly the direction of travel.
“If the EU can do this then so can New Zealand.”
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/environment_climate/766964/new-zealand-now-at-risk-of-missing-all-its-climate-targets-climate-commission-warns
