Three of New Zealand's biggest emitters no longer have to reveal their climate impact
Photo:
Supplied/ Unsplash - Mudit Agarwal
Three of the country's biggest greenhouse gas emitters no longer have to reveal how much planet-heating gas they produce.
For the first time, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA)'s company-level emissions data doesn't include agriculture, after the government ended compulsory reporting for the farming sector.
The change means companies responsible for around half the countries' greenhouse gases no longer have to supply information to the EPA every year giving a rough total of their
methane emissions
, unless they happen to be captured by other disclosure rules (for example climate disclosure rules covering stockmarket-listed companies).
Meat processors Affco and Alliance no longer have to supply emissions data. Nor does Open Country Dairy, the country's second biggest milk exporter after Fonterra.
All three were previously among the country's
top ten emitters
.
RNZ asked Affco, Alliance and Open Country Dairy for their totals, but none had responded by deadline.
The two biggest greenhouse gas producers in the farming sector - Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms - still disclose their emissions tallies in their own annual reports, as well as listing measures to reduce their impact.
"It's critical that everyday people are able to find out who is responsible for New Zealand's climate pollution," said climate advocate Alex Johnston, of the Don't Subsidize Pollution campaign.
"To not have big corporate from agriculture, the sector responsible for more than half of the country's emissions, required to report their emissions footprint is not responsible governing.
"It's like closing the door on your kid's bedroom when they've left the heater on and then wondering why the power bill is so high."
The change came about because the government removed farmers from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
Agriculture was previously included in the scheme as a backstop in case voluntary discussions between farmers and government didn't result in an agreement to price methane.
The backstop provision
was removed
and voluntary pricing talks were scrapped and re-started after the last election.
Farming companies never had to pay for their methane emissions under the ETS the way petrol importers, coal miners and gas producers pay for their carbon dioxide emissions.
However, until this year, they had to submit annual totals giving a rough estimate of their climate impact.
ETS emissions reports were the only public information available for comparing individual companies, because some companies choose not to voluntarily disclose emissions.
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts
told Newsroom
last year that officials had prepared an option to keep compulsory reporting while otherwise removing farming form the ETS. The government decided not to take it. He said the government was pursuing farm-level reporting instead.
The change means reported emissions in the report have halved compared with last year, down from 65.7 million tonnes to 32.5 million tonnes.
The difference is almost entirely because of the removal of the 33 million tonnes previously reported by the agriculture sector.
When Fonterra is included, top 10 emitters collectively produce more than half the country's emissions, with
Fonterra in the top spot
followed by big petrol companies Z Energy, BP and Mobil.
Farming companies - or their fossil fuel suppliers - still have to report and pay for any coal, gas or other fossil fuel they use in New Zealand under the ETS, for example coal used to dry milk or process meat.
Affco reports its energy related emissions on its website, but not the larger total that comes from methane produced by farming the meat it processes.
Alliance's website also discusses progress at reducing coal at its processing plants and said it completed a full lifecycle assessment of all its emissions last year, however doesn't appear to list the total.
Open Country's website also discusses successful conversion of coal boilers to clean heat and said it is committed to reducing emissions from agriculture through the He Waka Eke Noa programme.
He Waka Eke Noa was the programme scrapped by the coalition government after the election and replaced by direct engagement with farming groups through the government's Pastoral Sector Group.
The new group is yet to announce a pricing plan or targets.
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