Gas emissions waver was never a subsidy to agriculture

It's laughable how seriously this Government is taking New Zealand's so called 'gas emission' problems, even allowing Simon Terry to tell them this week that agriculture is the sector they must target to reduce the problem.

At a time when even the world's scientists can't agree on climate change how can we even persist in this ridiculous farce - especially when Joe Bloggs looks set to get away free while the poor old farmer that props up the NZ economy is facing more interference and control on his or her operation.

And just remember folks, agriculture does well under a National Government!

Terry's select committee report to MPs yesterday was not good. He targeted agriculture (with an estimated 73% of our total emissions) as the sector more easily manipulated to reduce emissions.

And without much detail to go on we were told that farmers could cut their emissions by up to 13% without losing profitability on farm.

But worse was yet to come with Terry trotting out the subsidy word - it was enough to make the cows choke on their own gas.

Previously under the Labour government's ETS, farming would be exempted until 2013, which the Sustainability Council says amounts to a net subsidy to pastoral farmers of over $1.3 billion up to that time (assuming a price of $30/tonne), according to the NZ Herald.

"Half New Zealand's emissions come from agriculture and it is time the sector's leaders acknowledged there is a big potential for savings now instead of constantly claiming more time is needed for research."

To borrow a John Key phrase - this is all just bollocks. If you're going to exert conditions on farmers in order of some trendy environmental philosophy that isn't going to make the slightest impact on the world's so called climate change problems, and not slap the same conditions on every household in the country then you are subsidising everyone else who is not in the agriculture industry.

When are these morons going to realise the value of agriculture in our economy...when, oh when, oh when.