Listen: DairyNZ welcomes IPCC emissions report

DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle. Photo / Supplied

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Although the IPCC report on emissions is "a lot to get your head around" it is also a very important contribution to the debate on climate change says DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle.

DairyNZ welcomed the report, as it highlighted "that the science is always developing" Mackle told The Country Early Edition's Rowena Duncum.

"We've got to be on top of that stuff coming through on a global level and look to see how that applies to us".

Listen below:

New Zealand's agriculture emissions are high because "we produce so much food - which really aint a bad thing" said Mackle, especially with a rapidly growing global population.

"For those who are not in farming and wonder about this key issue - why are we 48 per cent by volume - is that we are a highly renewable, energy-based country. We don't have a lot of industry, we've got a low population, and as I said earlier on - we're seeing a lot of people around the world with our food".

Also in today's interview: Mackle compared the efficiency of New Zealand's dairy industry to the rest of the world and discussed whether we need to "halve the herd".