Agriculture minister welcomes report on Biological Emissions

“A key finding of the BERG report is that, overall, biological emissions in the future could potentially be reduced 10 per cent to 21 per cent by 2030, and 22 per cent to 48 per cent by 2050,” said James Shaw.

The Ministers of Agriculture and Climate Change welcomed the report of the Biological Emissions Reference Group (BERG), which has been released today.

“In essence, BERG has looked at what lowering emissions means for the primary sector,” said Damien O’Connor.

“It’s been no small task, and I thank the group for taking on the challenge to help answer some big questions.

“They’ve provided a comprehensive range of findings; from farmers’ perceptions of climate change through to views on the likelihood of new technologies being available to reduce emissions in future,” said Mr O’Connor.

“A key finding of the BERG report is that, overall, biological emissions in the future could potentially be reduced 10 per cent to 21 per cent by 2030, and 22 per cent to 48 per cent by 2050,” said James Shaw.

“That offers real hope to farmers and agricultural businesses which want to reduce emissions while maintaining productivity and profitability.

“It also offers real hope to a world that needs to expand food production for a growing global population but also needs to bring down climate pollution at the same time,” Mr Shaw said.

“The findings show that farmers need better information and tailored advice to determine what steps they can take to reduce emissions on their farms,” Mr O’Connor said.

“We want to thank all the organisations involved for their contributions to this report,” he said.

“The report highlights the importance of clear government policies so they can make well-informed decisions about their farms, their farm practices and what their land can be used for,” said James Shaw.

“The Government is committed to providing clear signals to all areas of the economy about climate change policies, and the BERG’s work will help inform decisions we make around agriculture and climate change,” he said.

BERG was established in 2016 with representation from across the agricultural sector.

(With Inputs from New Zealand Government Press Release)