The Premium Debate: Subscribers weigh in on why farmers are upset about emissions plan

OPINION

The Government claims its plan for pricing agriculture emissions is pretty much what the farming sector said it wanted, so why the rural uproar with claims farmers and their communities will be wiped out? The first thing to know is New Zealand, whose economy relies heavily on agriculture export production, is the first country in the world to try to put a price on agricultural emissions. Second is that so far, the sector has not been pulled into the well-established Emissions Trading Scheme, despite howls of protest from environmentalists, but after recognition from experts that its variables and special features would be like forcing a square peg into a round hole.

Read the full story here: Why farmers are upset about an emissions pricing plan the Beehive claims they largely ordered

Have your say by going to bayofplentytimes.co.nz or rotoruadailypost.co.nz and becoming a Premium subscriber.

Can someone please explain how city-dwelling ideological dreamers sitting in Wellington sipping out of their third takeout coffee, eating lamb rogan josh from another throwaway dish, have the arrogance to tell our hard-working, land-loving farmers how they should farm and then tax them extra for doing so? Where and when does this make sense?
- Mark C

It would be really good if we could be world leaders in education, housing affordability, health, transport, etc etc.
- Waipapa M

You would hope those who came up with this plan bike to work at the Beehive and don't fly back to their families each week. There does not seem to be any other people in NZ that [the Government] targets. We have many, including young students, who all complain about emissions but have the attitude that as long as they are not forced to make changes that affect them, they complain about farmers instead.
- Mike B

"The Government has committed New Zealand to becoming a world leader in climate change action." That right there is the problem. Why should one of the least-polluting nations on Earth in percentage terms be the first cab off the rank in imposing punitive costs on the largest industry it has left?
- Marcus A

There are two takeaways from this. No other country in the world is imposing charges of this manner on their farmers — that puts NZ farmers at a big disadvantage. And the proposal cannot make the slightest difference to the climate. It does not satisfy the environmentalists at all. In light of these facts, why are we going ahead with it?
- Malcolm D

This government really has no listening skills and not much common sense but a weirdly distorted self-image - "the rest of the world looking to NZ to lead changes". Must certainly be another Tui ad.
- Potter O

Australia is the big winner out of this, their government has already come out and said no plans to tax farmers for emissions. They will be in the prime position to supply NZ's customers when we are unable to.
- Andrew H

- Republished comments may be edited at the editor's discretion.

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