Hon Jim Anderton

Opposition spokesman on Agriculture
Progressive Party leader
MP for Wigram

13 January 2009
Media Statement

National will have to do better than announce old policy

The National Party is to be congratulated for finally recognizing the importance of climate change mitigation for farmers, but it’s a bit cheeky to act as if it has a new fund of money, Opposition agriculture spokesman Jim Anderton said today.

Forestry’s Sustainable Farming Fund was originally set up in December 2007 to invest in projects specifically relating to climate change.

The SFF Climate Change portfolio provides funding to help the primary industries respond to the challenges of climate change and the advent of the Emissions Trading Scheme. It enables farmers, foresters and growers to trial and develop best practices from the grass roots up.

Jim Anderton said it was one of a number of initiatives (including the Climate Change Adaptation Fund, the Irrigation Fund and the Afforestation Grants Scheme) the previous Government designed to help ‘climate-proof’ the primary sector and ensure it was better equipped to capture the many opportunities presented by a changing climate.”

In March last year, more than $5 million of grant allocations were made through that fund.

Jim Anderton said he knew the National Government was taking a lot of criticism from the primary sector for its plans to scrap the potentially $2 billion New Zealand Fast Forward research and development fund and for abolishing business R&D tax credits – which agriculture was likely to benefit from.

“But they’ll have to do better than re-announce research funding that’s been in place for some time as if it was new funding if they want to make up ground.”

ENDS

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