Page - March 11, 2008
What's wrong with dairy?
The majority of agricultural emissions in New Zealand come from
the dairy sector. The dairy industry is responsible for the entire
increase in greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector
since 1990. Indeed, had dairy related emissions remained constant
at their 1990 level, New Zealand's agriculture sector emissions
would have actually fallen, because of the decrease in sheep
industry emissions and the negligible increase in emissions from
beef and other agricultural activities.
The dairy-climate change dilemma in New Zealand is two-fold. Not
only does the dairying itself have a hugely negative impact on the
climate, but because of high commodity prices and ever-increasing
returns for farmers, there has been a clamber to convert land to
dairy. In many instances, this means clearing forests to make way
for pasture. So the climate receives a double-blow. Carbon
contained in the trees is released when they're cut down, and then
the dairying practice itself releases huge amounts of greenhouse
gases in the form of methane and nitrous oxide.
Greenpeace is not proposing that those already farming stop, but
rather that the current dairy expansion be halted and better
practices be implemented on existing farms. We are calling for
farmers to work towards sustainable farming methods that reduce
emissions. We need to incentivise these changes by placing a price
on emissions and rewarding practices that reduce emissions.
Agriculture is the backbone of our economy, and we need to make
sure it stays that way and is not sacrificed for short-term gains
through unsustainable farming practices.