'Scary': Mayor claims Hawke's Bay farms threatened by emissions scheme

Farmers including beef and sheep farmers will be charged for agricultural emissions under the proposal. Photo / NZME

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little says the Government's farm emissions scheme is a "nail in the coffin" for farmers and potentially his district.

Little also believes it will likely lead to more Hawke's Bay farmland being sold to forestry organisations.

The Government released its He Waka Eke Noa proposal this week for consultation, which is a scheme to make farmers pay for agricultural emissions from 2025.

The plans, a world-first, are aimed at reducing methane emissions to help tackle climate change.

The proposal has been defended by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as being largely based on consultation from the farming sector and "enhancing our export brand".

However, farming organisations such as Federated Farmers and Groundswell NZ have slammed the proposal, with the latter planning future protests.

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little, who owns a 480ha farm, is no fan of the plans either.

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little owns his own family farm. Photo / NZME

Little said the move would likely result in more farms being sold and converted into forestry, which has already been a problem in the Wairoa district.

"It would be another nail in the coffin to be quite honest," Little said.

"I just hope a lot of farmers don't just give it away and sell up to forestry. It's scary really."

He said the focus should be working with farmers on projects such as tree planting to absorb carbon, rather than "stinging them" with a levy.

"We are killing our country and saying to the rest of the world look at us 'we are green and beautiful'.

"But actually we are going to have no jobs out of this, but at least we look good."

Little said one of the concerns he had with more farms potentially being turned into forestry was the flow-on impacts on local jobs and population. He claimed many forestry companies used workers from outside the region.

Ardern announced on Tuesday the proposal was going out for consultation.

"By 2025, New Zealand will introduce a system that means farmers pay a price for their emissions and are rewarded for taking action to reduce their climate pollution," she said.

"Countries grappling with the same challenges as us are once again looking to New Zealand for climate leadership."