The Country 29/10/25: Ray Smith talks to Jamie Mackay

The Director General of MPI on helping weather-battered farmers, and why our new methane emissions targets are absolutely achievable without reducing animal protein production.   

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Wind is the theme of today's show. A bit later
on the show, we're going to talk about the windy City. No,
not in the cargo, it's Chicago. A bloke who lives
on a windy city. He has two for his job
is Ray Smith, Director General of MPI. You can't beat
Wellington on a good day. Ray.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Look, I think you know the amount of wind that's
come through Willington over the years. Most things that could
blow away ever already gone, Jamie. But look, it's been
a spring to forget, isn't it. I mean shocking around
the country. But you know, look our thoughts Disco, the
people down in the South Island's clear, Our farming communities
down in Southland ernu clut, the districts, and even in

(00:40):
Kaikura we're as being you know, it's just been dreadful
and we know that there are a lot of people
without power. We know that it's I think it's about
one hundred and eighty dairy farms still reliant on generators.
So things are working, but sort of only just in
some of those places. So look, if anyone needs a
hand on the way through that they feel stuck or
uncertain up of things, they can do give the rural support.

(01:03):
Trust a bell eight hundred seven eight seven two five four,
Give a bell if you're just not sure or uncertain
or can't fix something, and we'll try and coordinate our
effits to give people a hand. And just know that,
you know, we have declared of medium scale at this event,
so that freed up a bit of money two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars just to support the well being
of people on the way through. And also of course

(01:23):
you know there's tax relief and other things that come
along with that. So look our thoughts with people. It's
going to take a lot of clean up.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Our Prime Minister has been in Southeast Asia. He's heading
to Apek. He's been trying to cut some deals there.
You've been in Washington recently on a trade trip. What
was that about.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
Well, look, I spent a week in the United States
last week and I managed to visit my counterparts, the
two undersecretaries that run that work in the Agricultural Department
in the United States for the USDA. And these were
two very important meetings with these undersecretaries. One of them
looks after biosecurity, and we have a very good relationship there.

(02:02):
And that's important because we're both exporting and importing goods
from each other's countries, and also with the Undersecretary in
charge of Agriculture and Trade, and those relationships that we
have are in very good state. And it there's a
lot going on, of course in America, with everything that's
taking place here, but we've managed to agree that we'll

(02:23):
formalize our dialogues going forward. It will strengthen our relationship
even further and that's got to be to the good
of all of the businesses trading into the United States.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
Raysmith, Director General of MPI, Sorry for coming in over
the top of you there. Look, since we last chatted, Ray,
we've seen New Zealand drop its methane targets and these
seem achievable fourteen to twenty four by twenty fifty. Does
this please you?

Speaker 2 (02:50):
I feel very happy about those new targets. It's a
good science based piece of work that's set a target
that New Zealand can achieve and is reasonable to go after.
And I think it's gone down very well across the
farming community and industries involved. And look, I was well,
I was in the United States, so I visited two
further states in North Carolina and Indianapolis, where I looked

(03:12):
at investments that we are making through Eggra zero joint
venture for bringing methane solutions to New Zealand, and can
I just tell you, I looked at a grass that's
being developed, a genetically engineered grass that can reduce methane.
I looked at two products that are effectively probiotics. It
will get using enzymes from the animals themselves to do

(03:34):
two things to increase productivity of the animal and reduce
the methane emissions. And these are products that we've got
investments in here in New Zealand and they will come
to New Zealand in the next I would say twelve
to twenty four months to undertake further trials and to
prove their products here so that we can register them

(03:55):
and they will be availed.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
Are we allowed to use the genetically modified grass or
rye grass here?

Speaker 2 (04:00):
We need to first pass through the gene Technology Bill
that's in front of the Parliament, so that will happen
in the middle of next year. But that's currently working
its way through its process, and that'll set out the
regime and how these products are allowed to come in
when they are genetically engineered.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
He one final question for you. Those original methane target
or reduction targets were twenty four to forty seven. Who
in their right mind set forty seven percent as an
achievable goal.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
Well, they were set, of course, based on international systems
for the IPCC, So look, they were really at the
upper end. And before I think we know a lot
more now about what's achievable and what's doable and what's
reasonable from the farming community. Because you don't want to
cut your production of animal protein to achieve your methane targets.

(04:51):
We want to do the opposite here in New Zealand.
We're going to increase our production and we're going to
cut those methane emissions, and we're going to do it
in a way that everybody can afford to do it.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
Music to my ears. Raysmith, Director General of mp I,
thanks for your time. As always, thanks you both.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
Take it easy.