New Zealand Emissions Reduction Funding for Agriculture Paid by Other Sectors

A herd of cows make their way down the race to the milking shed at a dairy farm in Morrinsville, New Zealand, on April 18, 2012. Sandra Mu/Getty Images

As part of the New Zealand government’s emissions reduction plan announcement for the 2022 budget, $710 million (US$450 million) has been promised to support the agriculture industry’s efforts to lower emissions, despite not contributing a cent to the funding pool.

The agricultural industry is both New Zealand’s biggest export earner and the biggest contributor to emissions but is not required to contribute to the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) until 2025.