DINZ news in brief - March 2021

On Thursday 25 May, infront of an audience of several hundred leading farmers, fellow nominees, Government Ministers and industry representatives, Linda and Evan were awarded the Gordon Stephenson Trophy at the Awards’ National Sustainability Showcase

Balancing business security with protecting the land and resources for future generations was one of the reasons behind the Potters’ win, the judges said.

“Evan and Linda epitomise the value of long-term vision, sound management practice, strong work ethic and a genuine passion for the protection of the environment. When asked where people should start, Evan responds, ‘does it matter? Just start somewhere.’

“A ‘do it once, do it right’ attitude can seem expensive at the onset but now the benefits of future proofing are paying off. Building bridges, fencing and water investment has given them first-class access to this environmentally challenging farm.”

Linda and Evan are hosting the BFEA East Coast field day at their property on Tuesday 30 March.

Environmental policy manager Lindsay Fung has been finalising the DINZ submission on the Climate Change Commission’s draft advice to government. This will be lodged on Sunday, when submissions close.

Fung says DINZ strongly supports the commission’s key message that all New Zealanders, not just farmers, need to make major changes. In addition, DINZ agrees that the real challenge lies in reducing emissions of long-lived gases, especially carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, not methane.

Nevertheless DINZ takes issue with three key elements in the commission’s advice that have the potential to affect the profitability of deer farms. These concerns mirror those of Beef+Lamb NZ and the Meat Industry Association:

• Methane reduction targets that are not achievable for drystock farmers, without major destocking.
• The use of measurements for the climate warming impact of biogenic methane that greatly overstate the impact of extensively farmed ruminants. 
• Excessive afforestation targets that have the potential to be achieved at the expense of deer farms. DINZ supports greater plantings of woodlots on less productive and riparian areas on deer farms.

DINZ is a signatory to He Waka Eke Noa, the Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership, and is therefore committed to supporting deer farmers to minimise their emissions through farming efficiently and increasing on-farm carbon sequestration where appropriate.

Photo: Doug Andrews