The starting point taken by AgriZeroNZ, as reinforced by current chair Rob Hewett, is that New Zealand agriculture is a problem. A methane problem, an emissions problem, a climate problem, an environmental problem.

AgriZeroNZ is a public-private partnership between the government (MPI) and A2 Milk, Alliance, ANZ, ANZCO, ASB, BNZ, Farmlands, Fonterra, Rabobank, Ravensdown, Silver Fern Farms and Synlait.

Having bought into the negative view that our farmers are a problem, these entities are throwing millions of dollars of our money into speculative cures to fix this ill-perceived problem. The arrogance of their approach is in taking it upon themselves to fix the problem by creating the AgriZeroNZ bureaucracy, overseen by a board of directors.

In doing so, AgriZeroNZ has become fixated on methane at the expense of other environmental issues. They have completely missed the fact that New Zealand farmers are already a world leading solution in environmentally sustainably produced food and are, and have been for many years, undertaking hundreds of on farm and nature-based actions delivering multiple environmental benefits including for the climate.

Groundswell NZ, Methane Science Accord and NZ Farming strongly support that New Zealand farmers are a solution and that we should be looking inside the farm gate and building on these nature-based solutions rather than speculative treatments in the form of boluses, vaccines and inhibiters.

Put another way, why would New Zealand farmers pursue a futile exercise in shoving boluses (that purportedly give one environmental benefit of reducing an infinitesimal amount of methane for up to 100 days) into their cattle when they could plant native forest (and other trees) that will last 100’s of years delivering multiple proven environmental benefits?

Based upon consistent and clear feedback from their respective communities, Groundswell NZ, Methane Science Accord and NZ Farming are calling for the Government and industry partners to quit AgriZeroNZ. Not the least because the AgriZeroNZ business model will fail given research showed that 93% of farmers would refuse to use methane inhibitors. This action is urgent given that millions of our money will continue to be lost while AgriZeroNZ remains in operation. Millions that could be better spent on our ailing health system or urgent infrastructure upgrades.

We are also calling for our industry leadership and politicians to stop treating farmers as a problem and support nature-based and on farm environmental solutions through existing industry and community initiatives. Which political parties and farming industry advocacy groups support us in this call?

We cannot afford a re-run of the He Waka Eka Noa emissions tax debacle where our elected sector representatives designed a misguided proposal for our own demise.