The Country 14/02/25: Jane Smith talks to Jamie Mackay

Is a self-described "free range" North Otago farmer, Methane Science Accord founding member, NZ representative Global Farmer Roundtable and Environmentalist who says farmers are aghast at the environmentally-ignorant and economically-inept GHG emissions targets announced by the Coalition Government.

 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
She's a North Otago farmer who describes herself as a
Methane Science Accord founding member. I would call her a
poster girl, but that would be politically incorrect. She's a
New Zealand representative of the Global Farmer round Table, an environmentalist,
she's won the Balance Farm Environment Awards and a free
range farmer. Jane Smith, you're none too pleased. In fact,

(00:22):
you're saying farmers are aghast at the environmentally ignorant and
economically inept greenhouse gas emissions targets announced by the coalition government.
I'm letting you off the chain here. Jane.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Good afternoon. Jamie, Yes, certainly. I think it was two
weeks ago. I ripped the National Party Rosette off my
twin set Cardigan, and I vowed and declared I probably
would never support the NETS again. I mean the sort
of Marxist and missions announcement I was akin to something
straight out of the Green Party playbook, actually, Jamie, and no,
I just was really disappointed, mainly because it's sort of

(00:57):
that lazy, limp wristed politics form Lux and Simon Watts
who simply couldn't be bothered. I guess upsetting the Green
faction and thought had twenty four billion dollar cost was
an easier way up, Jamien. I think that's frankly appalling.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
All right, let's add some balance to this and play
Devil's advocate. Of course, we signed up to a fifty
percent reduction by twenty thirty. That wasn't the NATS or
the coalition government. That was Jacinda and James Luxon on
this show said we went from fifty percent to effectively
fifty one because they've given themselves the range of fifty

(01:33):
one to fifty five by twenty thirty five, because that
is the minimum we could stick with if we wanted
to stay with the Paris Climate Agreement.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yeah, it's interesting, Jamie. This is actually a bit more
serious than the NETS just simply being tricky with the
truth that actually had total absence of any form of
I guess you'd call it structural integrity or economic modeling.
And you know, their whole powers record is actually crumbling.
And you know the other country that put the new
NBC targets out, there was only five countries that did so,

(02:05):
so ninety five percent of other countries conveniently missed the deadline,
which New Zealand could have done the same and the
actual four other countries that did line up was New
Zealand or all third world countries. So it's actually meaningless
because they don't actually have to pay anything if they
don't meet those targets, they simply they are the ones
that will be getting the money. So you know, US

(02:25):
and Indonesia have pulled out the BRIX groups, that's what
is that. Brazil, China, India, Russia, South Africa, UAE have
pulled out apart from actually China has stayed in there,
but of course no intention of reducing fossil fuels. That's
just there to sort of help push the Western world
to its own destruction. So EU UK, the whole thing's

(02:47):
in termol jmees. So the best thing they could have
done is actually despided some time and just waited lead alone,
you know, pushing ahead with this. So it's just unbelievable.
And I guess if we really explore where this is going,
and I know that that old line comes up and
you're willing to risk trade, Actually if you if you

(03:07):
look at it, all you need to do is actually
draw the emissions trajectory line, and a four year old
could draw it no offense to four year olds and
a fourteen year old could extrapolate out actually that those
emissions per a kg of food, it's only going down
one way, and it's down, So you know, New Zealand
produces lesser point one point seven of the world'sness.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Yeah, I know everyone bangs on about that one, Jane,
but I'm going to throw this back at you, and
you've referred to it, but let's go a wee bit
more in depth on this one. What are you going
to say to the likes of Chrystopher Luxeen or Miles
Hurrele industry leader who will say that the likes of
nesl than No and Sainsbury's simply are going to take
their custom elsewhere if we pull out of the Paris

(03:48):
Climate Accord.

Speaker 2 (03:49):
It's really interesting, Jamie. So there's a couple of options
who could have just delayed our NBC announcement and Act
actually runs some figures on this, but actually what we're
looking for and it's really into and we have this
discussion on the Global Farm around table all the time.
They're actually looking for some leadership from a country that
has the majority of its emissions from food production and
is decreasing them. Anyway, you know, by default. So we

(04:12):
could have taken the leadership stance on this and actually say, actually,
you know what, we're a food and fiber producing country.
We're already punching above our weight. We're not going to
risk our efficiency. We're effectively broke by the way, so
you know, throwing another twenty four But then whether it's
actually writing that check to go offshore or actually spending
that money on short of reduced you know, me saying

(04:34):
even further than we need to just by sort of
interfering with all sorts of scenarios in terms of our
live stock and actually say we're actually produces a natural protein.
This is where it's at, and actually take a stance
because it just we have this sort of limp wristed
sort of and we see it with the EMA, the
Meat Industry Association, the sort of weight and sea and gosh,

(04:54):
you know, go cap in hand to these countries. Actually
take his stance, and it's really interesting that and that's
are really bad at this. You look at Stuart Smith
two years ago, he was a one of the few
MP's actually called out the he called the Climate Change
Plan at that time from the previous government. The science
of bullshit and I quote that, the science of bullshit,

(05:15):
and he said it was full of predetermined positions, false
premises and politicking. And that's exactly what's happening. And that's
no wonder. We've got people that Stewart being pushed aside
when he shows an ounce of scientific nouns and people
like Simon Wat's coming in that is just a yes man,
and the industry's following it. It's following him, so you know,

(05:36):
we actually it's time to stand up and actually show
a profile which seems to be something that is an
egg sector and a country was very, very poor at doing.

Speaker 1 (05:46):
Jamie Jane Smith, I'm out of time. Thanks for yours.
I hope you get some rain and some sumpshine. I
hear as needed on your North Otago

Speaker 2 (05:54):
Farm, certainly as Jamie lot to see that a bit
of heat would be great