From Groundswell NZ

Groundswell NZ today delivered its Stop the Farming Tax petition – with over 100,000 signatures – to MPs at Parliament, Groundswell NZ co-founder Bryce McKenzie says.

“We delivered 102,724 signatures on our petition to Stop the Farming Tax, showing clear, unprecedented support for sensible environmental policy from New Zealanders of all walks of life and all over the country.”

“These Kiwis, and plenty more besides, have common sense enough to know that the Farming Tax will result in higher food prices for their families, emissions leakage to less efficient foreign farmers, and the decimation of rural communities already being left behind.”

“Groundswell NZ stands against the Farming Tax, the He Waka Eke Noa proposal, and putting agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme. All of these are variations on the same theme of punishing New Zealand farmers and consumers to the benefit of less efficient foreign farmers.”

“It’s clear that the Farming Tax is simply an attack on food production by the usual suspects who don’t care to see the hard-won positive impact of New Zealand farmers as the most emissions efficient in the world, facilitated by a Government more concerned with looking good at international conferences than with actually reducing climate change.”

“That’s why 57% of New Zealanders opposed taxing methane before other countries in the Federated Farmers/Curia poll, because New Zealanders care more about the real impact of policies than about the Prime Minister’s international communications strategy.”

“The Government must now go back to the drawing board for a fundamental rethink of emissions policy, including using up to date metrics like GWP* and ending the mindset of punishing Kiwi farmers for being the most efficient in the world.”

“New Zealanders can and should be proud of our record as a food producing nation,” says Mr McKenzie.