July 14, 2025 • 5 mins
The chair of Beef + Lamb NZ on why we’re importing beef from Australia, and we discuss yesterday’s submissions to Parliament’s Environment Select Committee on carbon farming. Is the problem the incoming legislation? Or is it that we are only one of two countries in the world that allow 100% offsetting for exotic plantations?
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Kate Ackland is the chair of Beef and Land New Zealand.
I'm going to talk carbon farming in a minute. That'll
get Dennis neil Neilson's blood boiling. But before we do that, Kate,
why are we importing beef from Australia? I presume the
answer is because we just can't produce enough of it
at home. Good afternoon, Hi, Jamie.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah, look at the straight supply and demand thing so
go through this winter. There's been a bit of a
shortage in New Zealand, and processes have been doing a
really great job of getting really good prices for our
products overseas, so it is a straight supply issue. I
think it's going to be short lived, but you acknowledge
it's probably disappointing for some key WE consumers wanting to
(00:40):
support local.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Exactly a bit later in the air, we're going to
talk to our US farming correspondent and the numbers I'll
keep my powder dry are eye watering, Kate. What they're
paying for beef in the US at the moment domestically,
and I guess that bodes well for us with Trump's tariffs.
They seem to be as long as we stay the
base rate of ten percent, and who knows whether we will,
(01:02):
but at this stage it bodes well for US exporting
meat into the US.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Well, look, there's I mean, we know there's a global
shortage of progem, particularly be so you know it's a
really positive outlook for farmers.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Let's take it now. Yesterday we've just talked to Damian O'Connor.
I didn't get a chance to mention it to him,
but you were presenting let me have a lot of
submissions to Parliament's Environments Select Committee effectively on carbon farming
regarding the exemptions to that December before announcement last year,
and I discussed this one on yesterday's show. Effectively I think,
(01:38):
are we closing the stable door after the horse has
bolted a bit here? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Look we I mean, as you know, Beef and mansmen
leading the charge on this forestry issue, and initially we
were really supportives that the government was taking some action.
But you know, when we actually sat down and crunched
the numbers on this what the proposing you know, though
it's a good festiff, it's probably not gon to go
far enough. And we're really concerned that even with all
(02:04):
of the proposed limitations, we're still going to see really
significant areas of good productive she can be farm go
into trees.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Give me an example of what you don't like about
this proposed legislation.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Well, there's two issues really. The first one is around
the exemptions category. It's just loose as anything for that
needs to be tightened. But the main concern we've got
actually is around the quota on land class six. And
we know from the research that we've done looking at
the whole farm conversions that have happened over the last
five years, eighty nine percent of those have been on
(02:36):
land class six to eight. So even with the proposed
restrictions are putting in place, it's still going to be
about twenty five thousand hectares a year of whole farm
conversions on top of the twenty five percent that people
can do on any land class. So you know, we're
still projecting a million hectares of whole farm conversion by
(02:58):
twenty fifty.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
But shouldn't we be encouraging the planting of trees on,
for instance, land class eight as long as it's not
too steep and it all doesn't get washed down the
gully and out the rivers during flooding.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Look that there is absolutely issues with landcarslight, you know,
and it's all about getting the right tree in the
right spot. And I think what we like about that
twenty five percent rule that does put in place is
it actually allows for farmers to plant trees within their farms,
on the land where it makes sense for their property.
And you know, the foresters can win because they're still
(03:33):
planting trees, but we're actually planting them in the right spots.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Well, if you've given and quite rightly property rights, farmers
can plant up to twenty five percent of their farm.
We want to get rid of the blanket planting. Everyone
agrees on that, or nearly everyone does. But do we
still run the risk of a run on the bank
in terms of pastoral land, even even arable land that
(03:57):
we've got left in this country because of carbon credit
to carry on their merry wades, probably more money in
planting trees than there is in farming livestock.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Look, I think that's the fundamental issue is that New
Zealand is the only country in the world apart from
cover Stone, but allows one hundred percent off setting, and
so has created this really sort of false economy that
is the ets. I think the important thing to point
out too is there's no proposed restrictions on planting trees.
It's only on entering them into the eats. So if
(04:28):
it still makes good sense to plant a forest for
production on land class seven or eight, there's nothing to
stop people doing that. All the proposals doing is removing
that sort.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Of Yeah, but no one's going to plant a tree
unless they can get a carbon credit. You'd be a mugnazu.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Well, I think, And this is the problem, right, Jamie.
It's driving that sort of false economy and effectively subsidizing
the plant.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Logic would suggest the biggest issue is the one hundred
percent of setting rule.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Absolutely agree, yep. So we need to get those settings right,
but in the meantime we need to get some urgent
restrictions in place because we know changes to the etes
are not going to happen quickly.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
How is things going or how are things going? Should
I say on the mid Canterbury farm, Well.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Like most of New Zealand where we're so, I'm actually
up in Marlburt today and it's a beautiful sunny day
up here, but gosh there's water lying everywhere, So really
feeling for the people over the hill have had it
even worse than Wilboroughs.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Yeah, terrible, terrible scenes, but at least the sun is
shining and Phil dunk And said yesterday they're going to
have a good week or ten days to aid in
the recovery. Heaven knows they need it. Hey, Kate Acklan,
thanks for some of your time at short notice. Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Great nice to talk
Kate Ackland is the chair of Beef and Land New Zealand.
I'm going to talk carbon farming in a minute. That'll
get Dennis neil Neilson's blood boiling. But before we do that, Kate,
why are we importing beef from Australia? I presume the
answer is because we just can't produce enough of it
at home. Good afternoon, Hi, Jamie.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah, look at the straight supply and demand thing so
go through this winter. There's been a bit of a
shortage in New Zealand, and processes have been doing a
really great job of getting really good prices for our
products overseas, so it is a straight supply issue. I
think it's going to be short lived, but you acknowledge
it's probably disappointing for some key WE consumers wanting to
(00:40):
support local.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Exactly a bit later in the air, we're going to
talk to our US farming correspondent and the numbers I'll
keep my powder dry are eye watering, Kate. What they're
paying for beef in the US at the moment domestically,
and I guess that bodes well for us with Trump's tariffs.
They seem to be as long as we stay the
base rate of ten percent, and who knows whether we will,
(01:02):
but at this stage it bodes well for US exporting
meat into the US.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Well, look, there's I mean, we know there's a global
shortage of progem, particularly be so you know it's a
really positive outlook for farmers.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Let's take it now. Yesterday we've just talked to Damian O'Connor.
I didn't get a chance to mention it to him,
but you were presenting let me have a lot of
submissions to Parliament's Environments Select Committee effectively on carbon farming
regarding the exemptions to that December before announcement last year,
and I discussed this one on yesterday's show. Effectively I think,
(01:38):
are we closing the stable door after the horse has
bolted a bit here? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Look we I mean, as you know, Beef and mansmen
leading the charge on this forestry issue, and initially we
were really supportives that the government was taking some action.
But you know, when we actually sat down and crunched
the numbers on this what the proposing you know, though
it's a good festiff, it's probably not gon to go
far enough. And we're really concerned that even with all
(02:04):
of the proposed limitations, we're still going to see really
significant areas of good productive she can be farm go
into trees.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Give me an example of what you don't like about
this proposed legislation.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Well, there's two issues really. The first one is around
the exemptions category. It's just loose as anything for that
needs to be tightened. But the main concern we've got
actually is around the quota on land class six. And
we know from the research that we've done looking at
the whole farm conversions that have happened over the last
five years, eighty nine percent of those have been on
(02:36):
land class six to eight. So even with the proposed
restrictions are putting in place, it's still going to be
about twenty five thousand hectares a year of whole farm
conversions on top of the twenty five percent that people
can do on any land class. So you know, we're
still projecting a million hectares of whole farm conversion by
(02:58):
twenty fifty.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
But shouldn't we be encouraging the planting of trees on,
for instance, land class eight as long as it's not
too steep and it all doesn't get washed down the
gully and out the rivers during flooding.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Look that there is absolutely issues with landcarslight, you know,
and it's all about getting the right tree in the
right spot. And I think what we like about that
twenty five percent rule that does put in place is
it actually allows for farmers to plant trees within their farms,
on the land where it makes sense for their property.
And you know, the foresters can win because they're still
(03:33):
planting trees, but we're actually planting them in the right spots.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Well, if you've given and quite rightly property rights, farmers
can plant up to twenty five percent of their farm.
We want to get rid of the blanket planting. Everyone
agrees on that, or nearly everyone does. But do we
still run the risk of a run on the bank
in terms of pastoral land, even even arable land that
(03:57):
we've got left in this country because of carbon credit
to carry on their merry wades, probably more money in
planting trees than there is in farming livestock.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Look, I think that's the fundamental issue is that New
Zealand is the only country in the world apart from
cover Stone, but allows one hundred percent off setting, and
so has created this really sort of false economy that
is the ets. I think the important thing to point
out too is there's no proposed restrictions on planting trees.
It's only on entering them into the eats. So if
(04:28):
it still makes good sense to plant a forest for
production on land class seven or eight, there's nothing to
stop people doing that. All the proposals doing is removing
that sort.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Of Yeah, but no one's going to plant a tree
unless they can get a carbon credit. You'd be a mugnazu.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Well, I think, And this is the problem, right, Jamie.
It's driving that sort of false economy and effectively subsidizing
the plant.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Logic would suggest the biggest issue is the one hundred
percent of setting rule.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Absolutely agree, yep. So we need to get those settings right,
but in the meantime we need to get some urgent
restrictions in place because we know changes to the etes
are not going to happen quickly.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
How is things going or how are things going? Should
I say on the mid Canterbury farm, Well.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Like most of New Zealand where we're so, I'm actually
up in Marlburt today and it's a beautiful sunny day
up here, but gosh there's water lying everywhere, So really
feeling for the people over the hill have had it
even worse than Wilboroughs.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Yeah, terrible, terrible scenes, but at least the sun is
shining and Phil dunk And said yesterday they're going to
have a good week or ten days to aid in
the recovery. Heaven knows they need it. Hey, Kate Acklan,
thanks for some of your time at short notice. Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Great nice to talk
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