Federated Farmers gives the National Party climate policy announced today ‘five stars’, the farming organisation’s President Wayne Langford says.

"Last week we released a rural roadmap outlining our 12 key policy priorities for restoring farmer confidence this election.

"That roadmap included a clear call for the next government to urgently review our methane reduction targets, support the better use of technologies, and to rethink our ETS forestry rules," Langford said.

"We’re really pleased to see the National Party have picked up on those important issues and are making commitments to put in place solutions that will work for farmers.

"It shows that they’ve been listening to farmers' concerns."

Langford said farmers would be particularly pleased to see a firm commitment to review the current unscientific and unrealistic methane reduction targets that could only have been achieved through unacceptable reductions in sheep, beef and dairy production.

"Putting a price on emissions to drive blindly towards those targets would be absolutely devastating for farmers, rural communities and the New Zealand economy.

"We can’t just reduce emissions by farming less and planting productive farmland in pine trees - we need to be looking to new technologies whether that be methane inhibitors, vaccines or gene-editing.

"New Zealand farmers are committed to doing our bit to stop additional warming, but the policies that support emissions reductions need to be pragmatic, sensible and fair," Langford concluded.

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