He waka eke noa is a world-first partnership between the farming industry and government, aimed at building a framework to reduce agricultural emissions.
It includes 11 primary sector organisations – including DairyNZ, Beef+Lamb NZ, Federated Farmers and the Dairy Companies Association (DCANZ).
For more information visit the He Waka Eke Noa website.
What has been committed to?
Government and sector have committed to working towards all farmers and growers:
- including mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change in their farm business and environment plans by 2025
- calculating their net greenhouse gas emissions and being incentivised to take actions on climate change through the development of an appropriate pricing mechanism for emissions by 2025.
Milestone progress update: 29 March
Guidance for farm planning complete
The first milestone is complete. Two information sources have now been developed to help industry bodies and farmers understand their agricultural greenhouse gas emissions: Greenhouse Gases: Farm Planning Guidance, and The Greenhouse Gases Model Assessment Report.
What does this mean for you?
Farm Plans guidance to GHG emissions is being shared with Rural professionals and milk supply companies. The guidance will be used to help add GHG emissions to your farm plan in future.
The emissions report that you get from your milk supplier meets the minimum requirements. To meet our reporting milestone for 2022 all dairy farmers must know their emissions and this will be achieved by all milk processors supplying you with your GHG emissions.
Freshwater farm plans will be required by farmers for managing the impacts of the farming business on water quality. Will the GHG farm plan guidance and opportunities identified in it link through to freshwater farm plans?
Yes. Like the freshwater farm plan, the GHG farm plan modules also recognise the individual nature of each farm and that choices for how to manage and reduce emissions are best managed at the farm level.
Linking through to other aspects of the farm business in an integrated way, such as water quality will also help farmers to make better informed decisions, appropriate to other aspects of the farming business.
The GHG guidance also identified other environmental benefits. So, for example, minimizing nitrogen surplus through reduced nitrogen fertiliser use or reduced supplementary feed will also reduce nutrient loss to waterways. These sorts of co-benefits have been identified through the farm plan guidance.
Many farmers already have a farm plan (particularly for freshwater), what is the process for incorporating this new guidance into existing farm plans.
The GHG guidance will be added to existing plans in a modular form or added to farm plans as they are developed – meaning farmers will end up with one farm environment plan.
DairyNZ is working with milk processor companies and rural professionals on ensuring the new guidance is incorporated into existing farm plans.
The Dairy sector has committed to working with farmers and other industry stakeholders to successfully adopt good farming practices that meet the environmental needs of where they farm.
