September 10, 2026 • 5 mins
Federated Farmers’ spokesman for climate change and meat and wool gives Labour a pat on the back for finally agreeing not to campaign on pricing agricultural emissions after 25 years of wanting to do just that.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Richard Dawkins is Federated Farmers Meat and Wool Chair. He's
also the climate change spokesperson. Now, Richard, you're farming in Marlborough.
Doug Avery sent me a message yesterday saying it had
some really good rain and with the Super El Nino looming,
and it definitely is, you would welcome every drop of it.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Yeah, hi Jamie. Yeah, funnily enough, I was actually out
at Doug's farm yesterday Just last week, Fraser's placed now,
and it was looking a real picture. So, yeah, now
we had 52 mils the other day, which will certainly
see the pasture growing. We're up over 10 degrees soil
temperature now, so things are humming along.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
What did you make of Labour's ag policy announcement earlier
this week that they would not campaign on pricing agricultural emissions?
That's number one. And the other one is they're fully committed,
like the National Party, to the Paris Agreement.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah, and well, there was a third part to that too, Jamie,
in that they were going to look at the role
of pine trees or exotics in the emissions trading scheme
and really trying to slow down or stop those whole
farm conversions into carbon. So, look, the whole announcement was
really well received. And I can't understate the significance of this.
(01:17):
For 25 years, they've been campaigning on pricing agricultural emissions.
So this is a real leap forward and full credit
to the team.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Who do you give the credit to in the Labour Party? Now,
Jo Luxton is obviously doing good work behind the scenes.
I felt she got hung out to dry because this
was good, positive policy from Labour heading into an election.
They released it a day or two after that Q &
A rural leaders debate. She was openly mocked because she
(01:48):
had no policy. they threw her under the bus.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, that was a real shame. But look, she must
be really effective behind the scenes because she's orchestrated the
most positive Labour agricultural policy in a long, long time.
So credit to her and also Deborah Russell. She's their
climate change spokesperson. We obviously have engagements with the party
(02:12):
at our Labour Party forum and Yeah, when I first
met Deborah, she had some, you know, reasonably out there
ideas around agricultural emissions. But what gave me hope was
she was very thoughtful and very considered and very analytical.
And as the years have gone by, she's, you know,
landed on a really science-based policy that is good for
(02:34):
New Zealand. So, yeah, shout out to Deborah and Joe
and Chippy as well, of course.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Yeah, well, I think Chippy does deserve some credit for
this because he recognised immediately after they got slaughtered in
the 2023 election that they'd got it badly wrong with
the rural community, with Damien and David Parker, Hewaka, Ekanowa,
you name everything they did that pissed farmers off. So
I think he's a centrist politician at heart. And I'm
(03:01):
not suggesting for a moment that rural New Zealand is
going to vote Labour because or centre-left. But as you
point out, this is a good start.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Oh, it is. And look, for years we've had Labour
Party spokespeople on your show saying if we don't price emissions,
then our products will get chucked off the shelf and
companies and countries won't buy them. And isn't it hugely ironic?
You now have Labour saying they won't price emissions and
we're receiving record generational returns for our products.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Did you hear, per chance, Mark Delatour, I think on
Wednesday's show from Open Country Dairy, he certainly created a
bit of a stir with what he had to say.
He said, forget about Paris, there's plenty of markets for
our products on the world stage.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Yeah, well I do often question when you have that
crossover between what the market wants and then suddenly saying
we should legislate for this stuff. If the market's demanding it,
then leave it up to the market. Our You know,
farmers are very well known for responding to incentives, so
let's take care of it that way. Exactly.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
The market is always the market, and you bang on.
If there's going to be a premium for low-emissions products
or zero-emissions products in the future, farmers will find a
way to meet it.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Well, if you actually legislate for something and it becomes compulsory,
there's actually less motivation for these companies to pay a premium.
because we're all going to have to do it anyway.
If it's a real significant point of difference, then they
will pay an incentive and farmers will follow suit, right?
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Hey, Richard Dawkins, thanks for some of your time today
on The Country. Gee, he waka e kanoa, I think
back upon it. It is so 2023, isn't it? Thank
God that's in the rear vision mirror.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Well, I agree, Jamie. It was such a big point
for the industry. Not only you had abysmal returns at
the time, but you had this emissions pricing. And it
was going to put 20% of sheep and beef farmers
out of business. That's how it was going to lower
our emissions profile. Those farmers would be uneconomic and it
would be planted in forestry. It's really frustrating to hear
(05:12):
people say, no, no. 20% of sheep farmers were simply
going to see a reduction of income. That wasn't the case. 100%
of them were going to see a reduction of income
because you were going to be paying the emissions tax. 20%
were going out of business, and that is completely unacceptable.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Yeah, and try as he might, Damien O'Connor cannot rewrite
history on that one. Richard Dawkins out of Marlborough. Hope
you keep getting some spring rains.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Appreciate it. Thanks, Jamie.
Richard Dawkins is Federated Farmers Meat and Wool Chair. He's
also the climate change spokesperson. Now, Richard, you're farming in Marlborough.
Doug Avery sent me a message yesterday saying it had
some really good rain and with the Super El Nino looming,
and it definitely is, you would welcome every drop of it.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Yeah, hi Jamie. Yeah, funnily enough, I was actually out
at Doug's farm yesterday Just last week, Fraser's placed now,
and it was looking a real picture. So, yeah, now
we had 52 mils the other day, which will certainly
see the pasture growing. We're up over 10 degrees soil
temperature now, so things are humming along.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
What did you make of Labour's ag policy announcement earlier
this week that they would not campaign on pricing agricultural emissions?
That's number one. And the other one is they're fully committed,
like the National Party, to the Paris Agreement.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah, and well, there was a third part to that too, Jamie,
in that they were going to look at the role
of pine trees or exotics in the emissions trading scheme
and really trying to slow down or stop those whole
farm conversions into carbon. So, look, the whole announcement was
really well received. And I can't understate the significance of this.
(01:17):
For 25 years, they've been campaigning on pricing agricultural emissions.
So this is a real leap forward and full credit
to the team.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Who do you give the credit to in the Labour Party? Now,
Jo Luxton is obviously doing good work behind the scenes.
I felt she got hung out to dry because this
was good, positive policy from Labour heading into an election.
They released it a day or two after that Q &
A rural leaders debate. She was openly mocked because she
(01:48):
had no policy. they threw her under the bus.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, that was a real shame. But look, she must
be really effective behind the scenes because she's orchestrated the
most positive Labour agricultural policy in a long, long time.
So credit to her and also Deborah Russell. She's their
climate change spokesperson. We obviously have engagements with the party
(02:12):
at our Labour Party forum and Yeah, when I first
met Deborah, she had some, you know, reasonably out there
ideas around agricultural emissions. But what gave me hope was
she was very thoughtful and very considered and very analytical.
And as the years have gone by, she's, you know,
landed on a really science-based policy that is good for
(02:34):
New Zealand. So, yeah, shout out to Deborah and Joe
and Chippy as well, of course.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Yeah, well, I think Chippy does deserve some credit for
this because he recognised immediately after they got slaughtered in
the 2023 election that they'd got it badly wrong with
the rural community, with Damien and David Parker, Hewaka, Ekanowa,
you name everything they did that pissed farmers off. So
I think he's a centrist politician at heart. And I'm
(03:01):
not suggesting for a moment that rural New Zealand is
going to vote Labour because or centre-left. But as you
point out, this is a good start.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Oh, it is. And look, for years we've had Labour
Party spokespeople on your show saying if we don't price emissions,
then our products will get chucked off the shelf and
companies and countries won't buy them. And isn't it hugely ironic?
You now have Labour saying they won't price emissions and
we're receiving record generational returns for our products.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Did you hear, per chance, Mark Delatour, I think on
Wednesday's show from Open Country Dairy, he certainly created a
bit of a stir with what he had to say.
He said, forget about Paris, there's plenty of markets for
our products on the world stage.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Yeah, well I do often question when you have that
crossover between what the market wants and then suddenly saying
we should legislate for this stuff. If the market's demanding it,
then leave it up to the market. Our You know,
farmers are very well known for responding to incentives, so
let's take care of it that way. Exactly.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
The market is always the market, and you bang on.
If there's going to be a premium for low-emissions products
or zero-emissions products in the future, farmers will find a
way to meet it.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Well, if you actually legislate for something and it becomes compulsory,
there's actually less motivation for these companies to pay a premium.
because we're all going to have to do it anyway.
If it's a real significant point of difference, then they
will pay an incentive and farmers will follow suit, right?
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Hey, Richard Dawkins, thanks for some of your time today
on The Country. Gee, he waka e kanoa, I think
back upon it. It is so 2023, isn't it? Thank
God that's in the rear vision mirror.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Well, I agree, Jamie. It was such a big point
for the industry. Not only you had abysmal returns at
the time, but you had this emissions pricing. And it
was going to put 20% of sheep and beef farmers
out of business. That's how it was going to lower
our emissions profile. Those farmers would be uneconomic and it
would be planted in forestry. It's really frustrating to hear
(05:12):
people say, no, no. 20% of sheep farmers were simply
going to see a reduction of income. That wasn't the case. 100%
of them were going to see a reduction of income
because you were going to be paying the emissions tax. 20%
were going out of business, and that is completely unacceptable.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Yeah, and try as he might, Damien O'Connor cannot rewrite
history on that one. Richard Dawkins out of Marlborough. Hope
you keep getting some spring rains.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Appreciate it. Thanks, Jamie.
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