The Groundswell protest in Katikati in July 2021. Photo / Sun Media
The Groundswell protest in Katikati in July 2021. Photo / Sun Media
Farmers will converge on Te Puke's town centre today to protest the Government's latest proposal for emissions tax on food production.
The Te Puke protest is part of a nationwide movement organised by the Groundswell NZ lobby group calling for people to back food producers by showing up to their town centre en masse in tractors, utes or on foot at noon.
The 'We're Not Going to Take It' demonstrations have been organised the length of Aotearoa from Kaitaia to Bluff.
Last week the Government announced tweaks to its Emissions Trading Scheme and proposed to bring in split-gas farm-level emissions pricing from 2025.
Groundswell NZ co-founder Bryce McKenzie labelled the tax "punitive, counterproductive, and unworkable" in a statement on the Groundswell NZ website.
He claimed it would: "Cut food production by up to 20 per cent in some sectors, ripping the heart of out of our rural communities, but barely touch net global emissions as foreign, less efficient farmers take Kiwi farmers' place in international markets."
The proposed changes put prices on both emissions of methane and emissions of nitrous oxide while allowing farmers payments for planting and caring for carbon dioxide-sucking trees.
The Groundswell protest in Katikati in July 2021. Photo / Sun Media
To determine their bill, farmers will enter a list of inputs into a calculator: farm area, livestock numbers, how much meat or milk they produce, and how much fertiliser they use on their paddocks.
The proposed pricing system applies to farmers who are GST-registered and who meet thresholds for fertiliser use and herd size.
McKenzie said: "This emissions tax on food production will lead to food scarcity, higher food prices, and even more productive farmland land planted in pines, leaving our rural communities and rural businesses hanging by a thread."
"Groundswell NZ supports a focus on reducing farm emissions through farmer-led, practical environmental actions on farm."
"This emissions tax will harm environmental outcomes – in fact, it will increase some global emissions," McKenzie said.
The Te Puke protesters will meet at the Te Puke Sports and Recreation Club at 11.30am before heading down the main street at midday.
Consultation on the proposed scheme closes on November 18, with final proposals to go to ministers for approval in 2023.
- Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
