Our agriculture stays in ETS despite Aussie move

NZ will not be following Australia's example and excluding agriculture from its emissions trading scheme (ETS), Climate Change Minister Nick Smith says. The Government remains committed to an all-sectors, all-gases scheme even though agriculture's entry would be pushed back from 2013 to 2015 under its proposed changes to the ETS reports The Herald. In a major concession to the Opposition, the Rudd Government said it would exclude agriculture from its ETS legislation. Agricultural emissions from ruminants represent about half of NZ's emissions but only 13 per cent of Australia's, says the Australian Climate Change office. And while NZ's agricultural emissions have risen 12 per cent since 1990, Australia's have fallen by 6 per cent.  "That's mainly due to drought, and excluding agriculture was a luxury they might be able to afford but we cannot," Smith said. Federated Farmers president Don Nicholson called the Australian move pragmatic. "It means NZ is now the only country on the planet to include agricultural gases in its emissions response." Smith said he would visit Canberra on Monday for talks with the Government and Opposition before finalising changes.