TARANAKI FEDERATED FARMERS 2 July 2003
PR131/2003
Farmers will Not Pay a Flatulence Tax

Farmers have made it loud and clear that they will not pay a Kyoto tax, says Taranaki Federated Farmer's Senior Vice President Bryan Hocken

150 farmers attend the Palmerston North consultation meeting on Greenhouse Gas Research funding today, including 70 farmers who travelled from Taranaki.

"First the Government ratifies the Kyoto Protocol ahead of our trading partners. Then they take the forest sink credits we created from planting trees on our land, said Mr Hocken.

"Now the Government is telling us to pay for research to reduce emissions with limited likelihood of beneficial impact and which no one else in the world is bothering with.

"If the Government goes ahead with this tax farmers will demand to know whether officials will be using agricultural census information that we were told was confidential? The use of confidential statistics will undermine the credibility and independence of Statistics NZ.

"It's time that the Government woke up and realised that agriculture is still the backbone of this country. Farmers are sick and tired of being lied to."

ENDS

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