Farming interests set up consortium to study ways to reduce methane output

Hugh Stringleman, Agribusiness writer

Friday 23rd August 2002

A methane research consortium of farming interests is nearing formal establishment and plans to spend $1.5 million annually for five years.

Half of that money will come from the Foundation of Science, Research and Technology (FRST).

However, this is far less than Science Minister Pete Hodgson wants spent on mitigation research for New Zealand's biggest greenhouse gas problem.

When releasing the government-preferred Kyoto Protocol legislation package earlier this year, Mr Hodgson suggested farmers might contribute $20 million a year to the research effort.

If they could not do that voluntarily, in return for nil emissions charge during the first Kyoto commitment period, then the government might consider a levy of 20c per stock unit annually.

The consortium partners are Wrightson, Meat New Zealand, AgResearch, Fonterra and DEEResearch. They will link with FRST on a dollar-for-dollar basis under the new consortium model for public and private research and development co-operation.

Spokesman Neil Clarke, general manager of R&D for Meat New Zealand, said the partners spent a great deal more than the money committed to the consortium on research which might mitigate methane emissions.

"Everything we do to improve farm productivity has a secondary aim in the mitigation of methane output. This is because more productive cattle, sheep and deer will produce less methane per unit of production," he said.

The new consortium, which must be finalised before September 30 to qualify for the FRST contribution, will focus on the rumen bacteria genome.

"We need to understand how rumen flora work to produce methane gas and develop some intervention techniques," Dr Clarke said.

The consortium will buy targeted research from AgResearch and other science providers.

"We get great leverage this way, bringing like-minded bodies together, but it is structurally challenging," he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Hodgson has confirmed New Zealand will not be in a position to ratify the Kyoto Protocol before the world summit on sustainable development in Johannesburg next week.

The government's intention, interpreted by various groups as undue haste, had been affected by the early general election, Mr Hodgson told a Kyoto forum this week.

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