The Country 24/02/25: Kate Acland talks to Jamie Mackay

The Chair of Beef + Lamb NZ says the Government's failure to follow a split gas approach is a significant concern and there was a lost opportunity to address it. Plus, we talk about her recent visit to Cattlecon in Texas and how the farming season is going in Mid Canterbury.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So Beef and LAMB chair Kate Ackland, mid Canterbury Farmer,
says the NDC's failure to follow a split gas approach
is a significant concern. My first question for you, Kate Ackland,
is what's NDC.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Well an NBC is it's a nationally determined contribution. So
it's essentially what we have said we're going to do
to contribute to the Paris of Court.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
So you're saying there's a real opportunity here for the
government to address this split gas approach, but they've chosen
not to.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Look absolutely, we were really unhappy with the government's threaten
announcement because we thought that they missed that opportunity to
go for a split gas international target like we have
our domestic targets, So that's recognizing the different role that
methane has in warning, the lesser impact and also the
importance of food production.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
See I'm getting confused here, what's the difference between national
and international targets.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
So we have our domestic targets are quite separate for
those international promises or undertakings we've made to the Paris Accord,
so they are quite separate. And New Zealand is quite
unique and that we have a split gas domestic target,
but not an international one. There's other countries that have
split gas international targets, and we're of the view that

(01:16):
actually New Zealand should follow suit.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
Okay, and you're suggesting what Uruguay is one of those countries, Yes,
it is. So what are you aiming for? What sort
of numbers are you aiming for? Because and I do
get confused by all these split gases and targets and
we're looking at a reduction and greenhouse gases of fifty
twenty thirty would appear to me, Kate Ackland, that it's

(01:39):
totally unachievable.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Look, it's not going to be easy. And the fact
that New Zealand has that unique profile with the moral
methane because we're an agricultural country, it will make it
quite difficult.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
You know.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
We've been putting a lot of pressure domestically on ministers
to address that domestic target. We've had We've had the
Independent Science Review and that came out with a number
of fifteen to twenty four percent, I think, which is
still not going to be easy, but it's a lot
better than the current targets. So I guess what we're
calling for is a bit of certainty for our farmers,

(02:14):
so you know, putting that pressure on to get those
domestic targets reviewed in lockdown.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
Farmers are committed to the environment, I'm quoting you here again,
and absolute emissions from sheep and beef farms have reduced
by thirty five percent since nineteen ninety. Once again I
asked the obvious question, what's the problem.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
Well, look, exactly, we have a great story to tell
here in New Zealand. Our absolute emissions from all of
agriculture are coming down as well, not just from sheep
and beef. So look, we do have a really great
story to tell here. But we need to get those
targets locked in because, as you and I both know,
a lot of the reductions to date has been through

(02:56):
a loss of good productive sheep and beef country into rustet.
So you know, we need to stop that. We need
to remember we need a really profitable primary sector to
actually pay for a good future for this country.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
While we're on the subject of the Paris Accord, Kate
and are out, do we hang in there or do
we do a trump?

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Well, look, there's some pretty significant trade implications for New
Zelond if we were to pull out of Paris. It's
tied into a lot of our free trade agreements. I
think eighty percent of the markets that we bought have
some sort of reporting climate reporting requirement. So you know,
it's not as simple as in and out. And I
think you know the most important thing is that we

(03:38):
get those domestic targets reviewed and locked in so that
they're at a level that recognizes the warming impact of
methane is different to that of long live gases.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
Hey, just while I've got you, you've just recently come
back from the cattle con. I presume that's short for
Conference twenty twenty five in San Antonio, Texas. There would
have been a few ten gallon hats there, Kate.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
Oh, look, it was fantastic, Actually it was. The Americans
really don't know how to put on a good conference,
but it was a really great opportunity to just catch
up with a bunch of our counterpart organizations and get
a deeper understanding of what's happening in the States, because
there is a lot happening there Right at a minute, I.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
Guess a lot of the talk at this cattle con
in San Antonio would have been around Trump and this tariffs.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
Yeah, look it was, and I guess I hadn't really
appreciated how integrated that northern North American cattle market is
and which was Mexico, Canada and the US. They almost
sort of run as one big supply chain and there's carves,
cattle and feed crossing the borders daily. So you know
the branches over there that are just as nervous about
tariffs as we are because the implications for their sector

(04:48):
would be massive too.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
And let me finish by asking you whether in track
conditions in mid Canterbury, we've been talking about some of
the issues for the arable farmers and the seed far
I guess from a pastoral farmer's point of view, you're
quite happy with the rain you've had.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
Look, we are having one out of the box. It's
been probably the best summer we've had in the last
ten years here. But I do feel for the arable
farmers and we do have fifty hipnos that bali sprayed
off at the moment waiting to dry out, so you know,
feeling a small amount of their pain. But generally speaking
that we haven't had a grass growing season like this
for years.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
Isn't it funny how you spray barley off to ripen
it effectively or get it to dry out. In the
good old days, the northwester would have done it for you.

Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yes, but you've seventh spent much time in Mount Sumer's.
We get quite a lot of rain here generally.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
No, I haven't. Well, I'm always up for an invitation, Katey.
Thank you very much for some of your time. Good
to chat to you, and good luck in your battle
with the government on that split gas approach.

Speaker 2 (05:51):
Oh look, thanks Jamie, and you're welcome for a farm
to er anytime.