October 13, 2025 • 7 mins
We talk methane reduction and gene technology with Labour’s trade spokesman.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Winding up the music, of course, I'm not going to
wind up. Damian O'Connor, who joins us now, Damien, good afternoon.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Dorah Hamish. How nice to talk to Jamie's younger brother always.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Yeah, yeah, exactly, a younger, handsome, more chisl rob daw
all those things nowday Yeah, well, if he was my
big brother, I'd love him. Fantastic hate right labour stance
on the methane reductions that were announced yesterday, I guess,
as you know, where do you stand on this?
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Well, look, I'm neither the climate change spokesperson nor the
agriculture spokes fist, but clearly have been involved for a
long time and from a trade perspective, there are a
number of angles here as well. I mean, it seems
like the government panel has been set a task to
go out and find reasons to justify a guess of
reduction and the target, and you know that there's a
(00:48):
lot of excitement across agriculture for that.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
There's still I guess excluding it from.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Any possible charge is something else that people seem excited about.
That this is a big issue. What we're seeing is
more climate change across the globe. We have an economy.
It's dependent upon biological production systems and the climate. We're
probably likely to be more impacted from an economic perspective
than many other parts of the world. So it is
(01:16):
really important that we get this right. And I think
in reading through some of the scientific opinions on this,
many people who are objective, who don't have a conflict
of interest, are disappointed with the latest announcement.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
What about from a farming perspective, though, how do you
view it from that perspective?
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Well, I guess we're the ones at the front line
of climate change.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
You know, we are day to day the weather changes,
but this is a bigger.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Issue of course around you know that the crops that
will need, the effect on the animals and all the
rest of the stuff over time, the events like cyclone Gabrielle.
You know, we're in the farmers are in the firing
line of this, and so the world's trying to reduce
the global warming, to reduce the impact on climate so
that people like farmers can get on and not have
(02:03):
too much disruption in their lives and their businesses. So
you know, everyone else is doing their bit. And the question,
I guess that comes from this announcement. Our farmers doing
their bit as well, and that's what other people are asking.
Fifty percent of our missions look at a historical thing.
You know that we've got a lot of animals, we
have a biological system, good farming systems, but we do
(02:25):
have to ask the question, you know, what is our contribution.
The fact that we have cleared quite a bit of bush,
and my father did a bit as well. I've done
a bit, you know, to create glass. It has had
an impact along with all of the other clearing the
Amazon and everything else, burning oil, it is affecting the climate.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
And just to make sure that as a nation we
are seen.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
To be doing our bit and indeed possibly you know,
being ahead of the world. And that's where I think
this is a missed opportunity because when we had our proposals,
we'd asked the industry what they think we should do
collect lee that was here wachkinoa, and we went around
the world in my trade visits when we talked about,
(03:08):
you know, we're trying to get this right. People were
excited with the prospect of New Zealand leading the way.
That's clearly not where where we've got to now.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Yeah, but we're leading the way for our farmers, aren't
we aren't. Aren't we another backbone of the country. I mean,
what do you say to Wayne Langford, president of Federated Farmers,
when he says the whole things are fast and it
should be zero percent?
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Well, you know, good luck, Wayne, you know, I mean
ted farmers haven't always led farmers in the right way,
and they haven't always been right.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
And I guess if you look at the collective wisdom.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
I guess of many climate change scientists around the impacts
on us and then.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
The way of how we handle that. There are a
lot of farmers who.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Were seeking assistance when Cycloon and Gabrielle hit. And if
we get more of those, we have to be in
a position to be able to step up.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
And help farmers. We've got to try and minimize the
impact on them.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
And and that's what the world is trying to do
across you know, as I say, across the whole planet.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Are we doing our bit? You know, we say we
are good.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Farmers, We are very efficient, but not necessarily the last
emitters in the world though for protein, and so we're
just going to keep trying to do our bit. And
the question is are we going to continue to try
and get better.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Yeah, but don means if we drop our production because
of meeting these targets that.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
We were going to stop it.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Look when you know in the eighties, I was there
in the eighties, when you know that was a labor gap.
I took the subsidies off and a lot of people
jumping up and down. Then in fact, we've seen our
sheep numbers go from about seventy million back to about
twenty three twenty five, and actually we've maintained our production.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
So there are ways years ago and there was a
lot of hurd after that.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
It was at the time.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
I'm not denying that, and I'm not saying it was
done in the right way. But the point is that
you know, we are innovative and creative. The figures that
we've heard, and indeed they were in government papers around
the loss of it wasn't the loss of farms. It
was a loss of profitability and in some areas production.
I think we we will work through that. The question
is whether you know we we can maintain. If we
(05:15):
think we can the same systems over time into the future,
I think we're kidding ourselves. So we are going to
have to make some adjustments. And the one around the
levy which has been pointed out where they called it
used to be called a tarbon tax proposal that was
rejected ets you know.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
No good.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
How how does the industry reinvest back into those new technologies?
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Okay, onto the gene tech bell back in August. You've
voiced your concerns on this and and and don't want
they didn't want the government to go heare with what
what if it does go ahead? And where is it
sitting right now?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Do you think, well they haven't you know, there have
been options to change it.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
I think there hasn't been.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Much discussion around the wider agricultural productive areas. There has been,
you know, discussion around medicine and in lab are indeed
for many, many years indeed we saw a need and
government for some changes to be made there. But the
wider discussion around our production systems, around the impact on
the markets, none of that has occurred. And indeed many
(06:15):
of us admitters to the Select Committee made that point.
So that discussion hasn't occurred, we should not progress as is.
But the government's come back from the Select Committee basically
trying to push ahead with its original proposals. I think
they're really wrong, and I think New Zealand First is
indicated that they won't support them as they I hope
they hold the line on that and you know, don't
(06:35):
get kind of persuaded by people who have vested interests
to cave in. And it's really critical for us into
the future and where what kind of product we sell
to who what they want, and whether it's a duty
product or not is going to be critical to that success.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Right, Damien, thank you very much. Damian. I konna joining
us here on the Country
Winding up the music, of course, I'm not going to
wind up. Damian O'Connor, who joins us now, Damien, good afternoon.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Dorah Hamish. How nice to talk to Jamie's younger brother always.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Yeah, yeah, exactly, a younger, handsome, more chisl rob daw
all those things nowday Yeah, well, if he was my
big brother, I'd love him. Fantastic hate right labour stance
on the methane reductions that were announced yesterday, I guess,
as you know, where do you stand on this?
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Well, look, I'm neither the climate change spokesperson nor the
agriculture spokes fist, but clearly have been involved for a
long time and from a trade perspective, there are a
number of angles here as well. I mean, it seems
like the government panel has been set a task to
go out and find reasons to justify a guess of
reduction and the target, and you know that there's a
(00:48):
lot of excitement across agriculture for that.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
There's still I guess excluding it from.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Any possible charge is something else that people seem excited about.
That this is a big issue. What we're seeing is
more climate change across the globe. We have an economy.
It's dependent upon biological production systems and the climate. We're
probably likely to be more impacted from an economic perspective
than many other parts of the world. So it is
(01:16):
really important that we get this right. And I think
in reading through some of the scientific opinions on this,
many people who are objective, who don't have a conflict
of interest, are disappointed with the latest announcement.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
What about from a farming perspective, though, how do you
view it from that perspective?
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Well, I guess we're the ones at the front line
of climate change.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
You know, we are day to day the weather changes,
but this is a bigger.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Issue of course around you know that the crops that
will need, the effect on the animals and all the
rest of the stuff over time, the events like cyclone Gabrielle.
You know, we're in the farmers are in the firing
line of this, and so the world's trying to reduce
the global warming, to reduce the impact on climate so
that people like farmers can get on and not have
(02:03):
too much disruption in their lives and their businesses. So
you know, everyone else is doing their bit. And the question,
I guess that comes from this announcement. Our farmers doing
their bit as well, and that's what other people are asking.
Fifty percent of our missions look at a historical thing.
You know that we've got a lot of animals, we
have a biological system, good farming systems, but we do
(02:25):
have to ask the question, you know, what is our contribution.
The fact that we have cleared quite a bit of bush,
and my father did a bit as well. I've done
a bit, you know, to create glass. It has had
an impact along with all of the other clearing the
Amazon and everything else, burning oil, it is affecting the climate.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
And just to make sure that as a nation we
are seen.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
To be doing our bit and indeed possibly you know,
being ahead of the world. And that's where I think
this is a missed opportunity because when we had our proposals,
we'd asked the industry what they think we should do
collect lee that was here wachkinoa, and we went around
the world in my trade visits when we talked about,
(03:08):
you know, we're trying to get this right. People were
excited with the prospect of New Zealand leading the way.
That's clearly not where where we've got to now.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Yeah, but we're leading the way for our farmers, aren't
we aren't. Aren't we another backbone of the country. I mean,
what do you say to Wayne Langford, president of Federated Farmers,
when he says the whole things are fast and it
should be zero percent?
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Well, you know, good luck, Wayne, you know, I mean
ted farmers haven't always led farmers in the right way,
and they haven't always been right.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
And I guess if you look at the collective wisdom.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
I guess of many climate change scientists around the impacts
on us and then.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
The way of how we handle that. There are a
lot of farmers who.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Were seeking assistance when Cycloon and Gabrielle hit. And if
we get more of those, we have to be in
a position to be able to step up.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
And help farmers. We've got to try and minimize the
impact on them.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
And and that's what the world is trying to do
across you know, as I say, across the whole planet.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Are we doing our bit? You know, we say we
are good.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Farmers, We are very efficient, but not necessarily the last
emitters in the world though for protein, and so we're
just going to keep trying to do our bit. And
the question is are we going to continue to try
and get better.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Yeah, but don means if we drop our production because
of meeting these targets that.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
We were going to stop it.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Look when you know in the eighties, I was there
in the eighties, when you know that was a labor gap.
I took the subsidies off and a lot of people
jumping up and down. Then in fact, we've seen our
sheep numbers go from about seventy million back to about
twenty three twenty five, and actually we've maintained our production.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
So there are ways years ago and there was a
lot of hurd after that.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
It was at the time.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
I'm not denying that, and I'm not saying it was
done in the right way. But the point is that
you know, we are innovative and creative. The figures that
we've heard, and indeed they were in government papers around
the loss of it wasn't the loss of farms. It
was a loss of profitability and in some areas production.
I think we we will work through that. The question
is whether you know we we can maintain. If we
(05:15):
think we can the same systems over time into the future,
I think we're kidding ourselves. So we are going to
have to make some adjustments. And the one around the
levy which has been pointed out where they called it
used to be called a tarbon tax proposal that was
rejected ets you know.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
No good.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
How how does the industry reinvest back into those new technologies?
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Okay, onto the gene tech bell back in August. You've
voiced your concerns on this and and and don't want
they didn't want the government to go heare with what
what if it does go ahead? And where is it
sitting right now?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Do you think, well they haven't you know, there have
been options to change it.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
I think there hasn't been.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Much discussion around the wider agricultural productive areas. There has been,
you know, discussion around medicine and in lab are indeed
for many, many years indeed we saw a need and
government for some changes to be made there. But the
wider discussion around our production systems, around the impact on
the markets, none of that has occurred. And indeed many
(06:15):
of us admitters to the Select Committee made that point.
So that discussion hasn't occurred, we should not progress as is.
But the government's come back from the Select Committee basically
trying to push ahead with its original proposals. I think
they're really wrong, and I think New Zealand First is
indicated that they won't support them as they I hope
they hold the line on that and you know, don't
(06:35):
get kind of persuaded by people who have vested interests
to cave in. And it's really critical for us into
the future and where what kind of product we sell
to who what they want, and whether it's a duty
product or not is going to be critical to that success.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Right, Damien, thank you very much. Damian. I konna joining
us here on the Country
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