Comment
Those who criticize He Waka Eke Noa for relying on ‘unproven technofixes’ ignore New Zealand’s very strong history of agricultural innovation, argues Kelly Forster
Opinion: On a stud sheep farm in the South, Leon and Wendy Black breed rams with low methane emissions, which according to Leon offers farmers a viable option to reduce their methane emissions.
As Leon says, we now have the tools to measure methane production, and by adjusting genetics properly, we can reduce emissions in small incremental steps, improving each generation.
Over three breeding generations, it can reduce a farm’s methane emissions by between 5 percent and 10 percent.
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This is a good example of the practical tools for farmers that stem from years of research, in this case involving the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium and Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
It is this kind of innovation that gives the He Waka Eke Noa Partners confidence that the recommended combination of a price on emissions and strong incentives to use new practices and technologies will result in a reduction in agricultural meteorological emissions of between 4 and 5.5 percent. Coupled with the already expected reduction of current policies, and of the waste sector, it will reach the target of a 10 percent reduction in methane emissions by 2030.
This reduction will be achieved by adapting existing practices and technologies on the farm, along with the development and implementation of new solutions.
It is easy for skeptics to say we are too optimistic about new technologies and accuse He Waka Eke Noa of ‘wishful thinking’ about ‘unproven technofixes’. It ignores New Zealand’s very strong history of agricultural innovation.
From the first refrigerated ships and electric fences, to the breeding of more efficient sheep and cattle, this country’s agricultural sector has a tradition of finding innovative solutions.
My dad was an innovator when I was growing up – breeding sheep that were more disease resistant. Working in the He Waka Eke Noa program office has strengthened for me that most New Zealand farmers and producers are eager to learn and adopt new ideas to improve how they farm.
The search for ways to reduce emissions while maintaining viable farming businesses is an area of shared focus by industry, government and many excellent research organizations, including the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Center and its partners. All the horses are pulling in the same direction, making it more likely that we will cross the line.
There are more than a dozen areas of research in the pilot study stage, with many more ideas in the earlier discovery and proof of concept stages. While not every research project will lead to practical solutions on the farm, there is a solid foundation on which to be confident.
Now that we have proven it is possible to breed low-methane sheep, research organizations and companies are turning their attention to breeding low-methane cattle.
The dairy sector, including DairyNZ, dairy companies, research organizations and agritech companies are also investing in testing new technologies and making them work in our unique grazing-based systems.
For example, there are trials of methane inhibitors; feed additives that reduce the activity of microorganisms in the rumen, called methanogens, which produce methane.
One of the promising feed additive products is Bovaer, developed by Royal DSM, a global science-based company. It reduces methane emissions from cows by more than 30 percent in non-grazing-based farming systems, where cows are kept indoors and feed is transported to them. Fonterra and DairyNZ are working with Royal DSM to test whether it can do the same in New Zealand’s grazing-based farming systems.
A probiotic called Kowbucha is being tested by Fonterra in collaboration with the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium, Massey University and AgResearch. While it is still early, a reduction in methane release of up to 20 percent from the first calving trials is a good result. A second round of calf trials is underway.
Asparagopsis, a type of seaweed, also shows potential, with trials underway in Australia and New Zealand. Should the trials prove successful, a commercial solution may be available to New Zealand farmers.
All the signs are that some form of inhibitor will be commercially available by 2025.
In Canterbury, farmers and researchers are monitoring results of the addition of ferrous sulphate to effluent dams. Initial results show decreases in methane from the dam of more than 90 percent, which will reduce the farm’s total methane production by about 5 percent. This system is already commercially available.
We already have products on the market that can reduce nitric oxide emissions from fertilizers. And New Zealand scientists are making great strides in developing new inhibitory compounds that could reduce nitric oxide emissions from livestock.
For all these reasons, the He Waka Eke Noah partners are confident that there will be enough options for farmers to reduce emissions and reach the 2030 targets. The partners are also confident that farmers will respond to incentives to adopt new practices and technologies, and emission reduction targets will be achieved.
Farmers are already responding to the challenge of understanding their emissions – 61 per cent of farms know their greenhouse gas emission figures, and we are working towards a 100 per cent target by the end of this year. Farmers turn up in large numbers for workshops on understanding their numbers and planning to reduce emissions.
After being in the room for the past two years for hundreds of meetings and many debates, I can say the He Waka Eke Noa approach will do what it says on the label – reduce agricultural emissions.