ETS: Limited Benefits and Embarrassing Consequences
All New Zealand voters need to think smart before they vote after a damming report from SWISS banking giant UBS which shows the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme has cost $287 billion for ‘almost zero impact’ on cutting carbon emissions , ACT New Zealand Primary Industry Spokesman Don Nicolson said today.
“New Zealand has an even more all-encompassing and costly ETS acting as a brake on our economy. It’s costing every household, every small business, and every farmer, huge amounts for what? A big fat zero,” Mr Nicolson said.
“As a country we cannot afford to be yet another Western democracy that has not faced up to reality.
“We therefore cannot afford to have poor policies like the ETS – which UBS labelled in the EU as having ‘limited benefits and embarrassing consequences’ – dragging our economy down. Yet National, Labour and the Greens continue to push for this foolish scheme.
“It is no good thinking what may have been after the election – this Saturday is crunch time.
“ACT is the only Party that is opposed to the ETS and is the only Party that will continue to push for the scheme to be scrapped until our major trading partners come on board.
“If New Zealanders want to rid themselves of the ETS handbrake on our economy, and if they honestly care about our future, then they need to make sure they give their party vote to ACT,” Mr Nicolson said.
ACT Slams Phil Goff's Selective Comparisons
ACT New Zealand Primary Industries Spokesman Don Nicolson today attacked Phil Goff's selective use of comparisons following Wednesday evenings Leaders’ debate on TV One.
"The public deserve to know about Labour's dishonest use of comparisons," Mr Nicolson said.
"On the one hand, Phil Goff talks about New Zealand being one of the few countries in the OECD without a Capital Gains Tax. He’s wrong, because there is tax on some capital gains already. But conveniently, he fails to note that we are much more out on our own with our ETS.
"New Zealand is the only country in the OECD that has legislated for a highly damaging and costly all-gases, all-sectors ETS.
"If Labour and the Greens form a government, we'd be the only country in the OECD to then put farm biological emissions into an ETS.
"Not that National can be trusted since they did a 180 degree turn on it after being elected in 2008.
"If farmers want the ETS moderated and eventually abandoned, farmers need to party vote ACT. Only ACT will be farmers’ voice in the Parliament," Mr Nicolson said.
ENDS
Green Party’s Water Policy Reckless And Dangerous Says Don Nicolson
ACT Party Primary Industries spokesman Don Nicolson today described the Green Party’s water policies as “reckless and dangerous” following a radio interview with Kevin Hague, in which the Green MP said water storage and irrigation was bad because it intensified land use – a prospect Mr Nicolson said will alarm gardeners.
“I don’t like being negative, but this is sheer lunacy from the Green Party,” Mr Nicolson said.
“During my term as President of Federated Farmers, we invited Russel Norman to Canterbury’s Opuha Dam and he went away saying reasonably positive things about water storage for farming and the environment. Then we hear Kevin Hague contradicting his leader on the radio by slagging off water storage because it will ‘intensify’ land use.
“Using Mr Hague’s loopy logic, it would mean no more water dams for the cities.
“According to the Greens, all water dams will do is to ‘intensify’ cities so it’s time for them to come clean. You won’t need better public transport because, as Federated Farmers pointed out the other day, water storage makes city life possible. No water storage: no cities.
“It must mean the Greens want a hose pipe ban every day of the year.
“That will shock gardeners who know that if you don’t water your veggie patch in summer, it dies. Scale that up to farms and you are talking about an economic meltdown.
“Green policies need critical scrutiny environmentally and economically. Water storage makes for more exports, and these exports help pay for all sorts of public services including hospital operations. What public services would Mr Hague cut to deliver his green nirvana?
“The Greens are dangerous, inconsistent and reckless. It’s high time to expose them for what they are: hard core socialists in a green cloak.
“We know the dirtiest rivers and streams are all in the cities, but the Greens wouldn’t admit that because that’s where their supporters live, and no one likes to look in the mirror. It seems much easier for them to abuse farmers with their mouthful, and that reveals their true colours.
“There’s something in the water alright and it’s not green,” Mr Nicolson said.
Click here for an audio link to Mr Hague’s radio interview.
ETS U-turn Shows Why ACT Needed
National’s announcement that it will effectively exempt agriculture from liability for biological emissions under the Emissions Trading Scheme appears to be a step in the right direction, but it is also an admission that the ETS was an expensive mistake, ACT Primary Industry Spokesman Don Nicolson said today, adding that it’s a promise that risks being scuttled unless ACT plays a significant role in the next Government.
“ACT has fought tooth and nail against the folly of the ETS. We opposed the scheme being implemented, saying it was going to cost farmers, businesses, and consumers alike, for no environmental gain. Today’s U-turn from National proves that ACT was right,” Mr Nicolson said.
“New Zealand is the only country to have an all gases, all sectors ETS – it is a poorly-conceived blanket tax. By forcing New Zealand to rush ahead of our major trading partners with a flawed system, National has damaged New Zealand’s fragile economic recovery while doing nothing for the environment.
“By stating that the ETS will not impose a liability for biological emissions on agriculture unless there are ‘practical technologies to reduce our emissions’ and unless our trading partners ‘have made further progress with their climate change policies to reduce emissions’, National is hopefully exempting agriculture from the scheme indefinitely.
“However it is extremely unlikely that any of National’s other potential support partners will vote to exempt agricultural emissions from the ETS. Unless ACT plays a strong role supporting a John Key-led Government, National could very well be forced by either the Maori Party, or the Greens, to include agriculture in the ETS, causing huge damage to New Zealand agriculture,” Mr Nicolson said.
ENDS
Labour Out Of Touch On Agriculture
Farmers have much to fear from Labour’s recently-announced Agriculture policy, ACT New Zealand Primary Industry Spokesman Don Nicolson said today.
“Labour’s plans to mess with the Reserve Bank Act, and drag agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme in 2013 are just plain stupid,” said Mr Nicolson.
“The Reserve Bank Act 1989 has helped to keep inflation down – it’s a model emulated around the world. Where things could be improved is not by broadening the Reserve Bank’s focus to include exchange rates, but by attacking non-tradable inflation – that is, government spending. Loose fiscal policy has been extremely unhelpful to our economy.
“Farmers are already paying extra in fuel prices thanks to the ETS, and if Labour have their way many more farmers will find it simply impossible to continue farming. That is no way to encourage the export-led economic recovery we badly need.
“Labour’s so-called ‘solutions’ simply involve more government interference, which means even more government spending, and thus higher non-tradable inflation. It’s self-defeating, and shows Labour have learned nothing in Opposition.
“The solution to formulating policies that work is to listen to those on the ground. If Labour had paid attention they would know that farmers want the government off their backs, and they don’t want a bar of the ETS.
“I was at the Hawkes Bay A & P Show when Labour announced their plans, and their audience was miniscule. Relations with the rural sector have clearly broken down and it’s easy to see why.
“As Federated Farmers President for three years, I listened intently to farmers and fought tooth and nail to protect their interests. By giving their Party Vote to ACT, farmers will ensure their concerns are taken seriously in the next Government,” Mr Nicolson said.
ENDS
ACT Says Bravo To Fonterra
Fonterra’s record results are a well-earned reward for dairy farmers after many years of doing New Zealand’s ‘heavy lifting’, but even better results could be achieved if we lifted the bureaucratic weight on our primary industries via sensible Government reform, ACT New Zealand Primary Industries spokesman Don Nicolson said today.
“Fonterra, and its shareholder farmers, who efficiently utilise our precious land and water resources deserve our congratulations – results like this benefit all New Zealanders. That this massive contribution to our economy was made under very challenging circumstances makes the result all the more significant,” Mr Nicolson said.
“I believe agriculture in New Zealand rarely receives the recognition it deserves. We should remember that without our primary producers New Zealand’s economy would probably look a lot like Greece. Returns per employee from the dairy industry, for example, are about four times greater than that of tourism, and our farmers lead the world in environmental awareness.
"Yet, for some reason there is a great deal of farmer-bashing in New Zealand, with the Green Party being one of the key offenders. They should take heed of a quote I heard recently ‘never abuse a farmer with your mouth full’.
“Primary industry is the real engine that powers our economy, yet farmers are continually feeling farmed by the regulators. The Government has added one regulation after another, significantly increasing farmers costs and hindering our international competitiveness.
If we want to see Fonterra’s continued success in the international market and the flow-on effects its success has for our economy, National should move to significantly reform the Resource Management Act, the Local Government Act, and scrap the ETS. By giving ACT the numbers at the election we will ensure this happens,” Mr Nicolson said.
ACT Says Farmers Have Had A “Gutful” Of ETS Nonsense
The ACT Party's Primary Industries Spokesman Don Nicolson has said that the release of the ETS Review Panel’s reportDoing New Zealand’s fair share: ETS Review has exposed enough information to show that New Zealand is on a lonely road to what he describes as 'fiscal greenicide'.
ACT has pledged it will back farmers by pushing for a repeal of the ETS – something Mr Nicolson, a former president of Federated Farmers, says should have farmers looking to give their party vote to ACT on November 26.
“I’ve got millions of reasons for farmers to party vote ACT; they’re the extra dollars farmers are already paying for their fuel, food and processing costs. Only ACT is fighting tooth and nail to get rid of these costs.
“Farmers will be gutted by the white flags being flown by those they thought would be in their corner. ACT is the only one political party that truly has their back.
“All New Zealanders need to look at the billions being pumped into climate change policy and ask ‘what’s the point? Perhaps it is the taxpayer funded world tour. Hell, instead of flying, you’d think the UN would lead by example and have video conferences instead. The last gig, the 16th in the series, was of course in Mexico, and the next is in South Africa.
“This ‘do as I say mentality’ can be seen in the report’s title. Farmers have had a gutful of being told they’re not pulling their weight. Can you really tell me climate change is the big issue facing the EU right now with the Euro is on the slide and the world maybe looking at down the barrel of stagflation?”
The reality is National still plans to sting farmers; however Labour would do it harder and quicker and the Greens would just push farmers into ‘greenicide’.
“The world is moving past climate change. Just look at the global legislative agenda as opposed to the spin from those on this taxpayer-fuelled gravy train. Does anyone really think Australia’s carbon tax will survive the next election? The legislative nonsense aside, farm emissions under Julia’s plan aren’t being counted and farmers there are being offered all sorts of sweeteners.
“Even this report concedes that emissions per unit of farm output have fallen without an ETS. Memo to those left-wingers sitting in their air-conditioned offices: farmers adopt technology and efficient farming practices without having a legislative gun put to our heads. We grow and trade efficiency every day.
“ACT will lead a much needed refocus on what’s really important and that is wealth creation. ACT wants Kiwis to be makers not takers. ACT is standing up for farmers, but we need farmers to stand with us by giving their party vote to ACT,” Mr Nicolson said.
Nix NAIT Says Nicolson
ACT New Zealand Agriculture Spokesman Don Nicolson is applauding today's decision by the ACT caucus to oppose the remaining stages (2nd and 3rd readings) of the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) Bill.
The Bill will require all dairy and deer farmers to tag their animals electronically and register them online as from July 1 next year.
"It's a lemon," says Mr Nicolson, former Federated Farmers president and ACT's #4 list candidate.
"NAIT supporters claim it is the ultimate biosecurity measure, the ultimate guarantee against an outbreak of something like foot-and-mouth here. But since tens of millions more ruminant livestock will be out of it than in, that's a joke. Ultimate bureaucrats' dream, more like it.
"This Bill won't improve on what the industry already has. The existing national animal-tracing system (paper- and tag-based) is sufficient. If there were a market advantage to an electronic system it could be made a condition of supply without any need for regulation.
"New Zealand dairy companies are already recognised for quality assurance programmes for livestock management. Our trading partners have exhibited no particular concern about New Zealand’s existing traceability procedures. Yet National and Labour want to railroad farmers, stock agencies and truckers into wasting thousands of dollars in administration time on something they don't need, with threats of $10,000 fines for failure to comply.
"If this legislation is to be passed, there should be a farmers-only referendum attached to it so that those who would have to pay get to have their say. And its implementation should be delayed till 2017, to coincide with the rolling out of improved broadband. The ACT Party will push for these changes in Parliament after the election.
"NAIT is a further illustration of why farmers should party-vote ACT and ensure a strong voice in Parliament against such unnecessary, draconian and anti-farmer legislation," Mr Nicolson concludes.
