Morale at Fieldays has been boosted by the Government’s decision to stop agriculture from being included in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), as political parties of all stripes attended the annual calendar fixture.
The atmosphere at the event appeared upbeat, with many in the sector expressing optimism about the coalition’s approach. One attendee described the dairy industry outlook as “promising”, while another stated they were “cautiously optimistic”.
Meanwhile, Wayne McNee, who heads AgriZero NZ, a public-private partnership funding methane research, emphasised the importance of meeting consumer expectations.
“They want low-emission products they can sell to consumers around the world,” he said.
“The world is demanding it. All our major customers out of New Zealand — Nestle, Danone, McDonald’s, Sainsbury, Tesco, Mars — they all want lower-emissions products. What they’re saying is, if they can’t get it from New Zealand, they might get it from somewhere else.”
The decision to remove agriculture from the ETS has raised concerns about New Zealand’s access to foreign markets.
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