This is a subscriber-only article
Dr Harry Clark, director of the New Zealand agricultural greenhouse gas research centre, was speaking at the first day of the Fieldays 2016 event in Hamilton, New Zealand. Clark said that with the global population growing, there are challenges to allow carbon efficient countries liek New Zealand and Ireland grow to meet this demand.
“I think it is a challenge. The population is growing very fast (and) we need to increase our agriculture production. How can you reduce emissions with that background? At the end of the day, we can do so much with increased efficiency and we are all doing that – New Zealand is doing that, Ireland is doing that,” Dr Clark told the Irish Farmers Journal.
Dr Clark said global buy-in is required to develop new technology and the adoption of climate smart and precision agriculture to keep emissions from agriculture as low as possible.
“We can reduce the emissions per unit of product. Unfortunately, if we want absolute reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the efficiency route isn’t enough on its own and I think that’s where we have to think about new technologies. Can we develop new technologies? That calls for research,” he said.
Herd cutting fears
Recent reports have suggested the potential need to cut beef and dairy herds to meet climate change targets. Dr Clark said such moves would be too draconian. He also added that farmers do not have a “free ride” and contribute to paying for climate change control through carbon taxes and fuel usage.
Us cutting back does not actually solve the problem but it gives a perverse outcome if we are not careful
“Absolutely, that is a very genuine fear that if countries like Ireland countries like New Zealand (have to cut production) that countries which are less efficient may well (increase production) and greenhouse gases will go up. So by us cutting back does not actually solve the problem but it gives a perverse outcome if we are not careful.”
“Already improvements”
Dr Clark said that New Zealand agriculture has already displayed a willingness to reduce carbon emmissions and drive efficiences. He pointed to the sheep flock, which has reduced ewe numbers from 57m in 1990 to 30m now but is producing to same volume of meat. Dr Clark said this is being done through "improvements in breeding, genetics and farm management."
‘The market is the market’ for NZ dairy farmers
SHARING OPTIONS: