Dairy Farm Cows in New Zealand Releases Record Breaking Greenhouse Gas Emissions

According to the most recent figures, greenhouse gases emitted by New Zealand's dairy industry have reached an all-time high.

Dairy emissions increased 3.18 percent in 2019, to 17,719 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, according to new data from Stats NZ for the years 2007-2019. This increase contributed to the overall growth of the agriculture sector, which emitted about 42,000 kilotonnes that year.

Agriculture Pollution

New Zealand enacted multipartisan climate legislation in 2019 that set a net-zero CO2 emissions target for 2050 and established the Climate Change Commission to chart a path to that goal. The government is constitutionally obligated to respond to the commission's findings, issued in June with policy recommendations, but has yet to do so.

According to the commission's study, some of the effort to reduce methane emissions could be made by improved agricultural methods and breeding animals that generated less gas. Still, it would also necessitate a 10% -15% reduction in total herd numbers.

Hoggard also stated that methane emissions were down from 2006, despite evidence revealing that methane emissions peaked that year. Since 2008, methane emissions have largely increased.

In Dire Need of Action

According to Abel, the data released on Thursday should be considered a conservative estimate because it excludes emissions from transportation, coal used to dry milk powder, and palm kernel emissions imported for food.

"All of the dairy industry's claims that it will self-regulate and take control of the problem are plainly not functioning, as seen by real emissions data," said Abel.

"We need farming, but it has to stop being this industrial polluter and instead focus on keeping the land healthy, our rivers healthy, and our freshwater healthy, rather than causing catastrophic weather events through climate change."

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