Finally NZ has a free trade agreement with the EU. They have done much better than us out of it, but then what do you expect. Wine, and fruit have done well from our side. But despite Jacinds assertions all smiles and flashing teeth on the TV news the day before that NZ would not sign any agreement with out meat and dairy getting a good deal , she rolled over next morning leaving dairy and meat to suck the sav till next time. of course there is not going to be a next time. June yr on yr export receipts for meat and dairy showed record $ receipts for the country. Volume Down. Our,s and the Aussi $ have stayed markedly high against the USD$ at a time of the yr when our export volumes are down. USD$ at 136 to the Yen at another time would have the afore mentioned through the floor. One has to wonder at the workings of the foreign exchange markets. Experts say it is controlled by humongous computers. Me thinks it is perhaps one large computor some where in the United Nations. But then you would have to agree thank goodness for that. So the money printing keeps on rolling. With record demand from a exploding world population for food. One has to recognise the folly of planting up our land in trees. The new export taking its place is carbon. Zilch benefit for NZ, except that the farmers are pocketing good $. Up to $20,000/hec for sheep and beef property, in desired locations. So Europe gets to protect its farmers till the Australians front up next month . The EU negotiators no that the NZ export economy is in serious decline and i dare say looking to offset the Unions carbon foot print, so why make it harder.
Now i have to remind you , when you think. What has all this got to do with Regional Council. Quite simple. Just read the ONE PLAN. Horizons Regional Councils Plans for the Environment. Climate Change. Unsustainable Land Use. Carbon Sinks. and further on “Off Sets.” All driven by Central Government. If by some stroke of brilliance by a individual(s) or Organisation, the out come sort is derailed then Govt comes along with a National Policy Statement to achieve the out come sort. And Latterly cleaning up the Nations Water, and up grading water related Infrastructure by nationalizing it and installing Maori to run it. Have to keep you guys on track. Remember there are people out there still trying to hack this sight, in fact so many times that the machine has stopped counting. But 5 determined attempts this past week. My point . Is this disinformation ? or information. The real deal. Just this last week my wife read on face book, the New Deal. Social media to be censored. Misinformation to be banned. Well one has to say that this blog will be captured to. But i will say that when i started this Blog way back then, Councilor Murry Guy tried to get council to sensor my blog. The CEO McCartney told the council .Cannot. Simple reason. Readers have to want to read it in so far as they have to open up their browser type in www.mike to access. Legal opinion. Not alot difference to face book. Recently (June) parts of Manawatu and Horowhenua suffered from severe flooding of farm land. Horizons made quite a thing in the Media about flying over the affected areas with Councilors. One has to wonder what the conversation around the council table consisted of , but my thoughts are, and with consideration to my writing above. Land Use Change. The Taonui Basin was once a swamp. That has been on Horizons radar for quite awhile, Parts of Horowhenua most affected now by Climate Change were of the same. Said that to my neighbour Minister Guy back then. Do not think he believed me. But now? Well. Horizons operate the Koputaroa flood protection scheme which also consists of detention dams and massive pumps. I thought the council was abit slow in starting the pumps up. Might be wrong and of course council will say i am . But.
HWEN. He Waka Eke Noa. Comes at a cost. Average dairy farmer to pay $6000 and sheep and beef $7000. For sheep and beef this is particularly galling in that sheep no’s have fallen a massive 30 plus % since the start point in 1990. Could lift to $20k and $24k respectively by 2030. This is in the first instance calculated at .11c per kg of Methane. Ag First agri economist Phil Joureaux says this in an indicative price only and could be much higher. The starting price @ .11c is only 5% of $85/t of carbon dioxide. Govt goal is to reduce agricultural emission’s to zero by 2050. Either by off setting or other means. Remember that International Climate Change policy states clearly. Agriculture is not to be included. Food. Yet here we have our Govt,s on both sides doing exactly the opposite. We have both the Govt s and their lackeys in the Farm Good organizations telling farmers that we must save the world, be leaders in climate change policy and that consumers demand . Really. With regard to the above and numerous opinion columns now appearing in farmer media. One must dispute that. It would appear that only Ground Swell has recognised and is activity opposing the out come sought ,thus one surely must recognise just how well organised the Govts, UN of the day are and have been for decades in getting all the wrong people in all the right places in every decision making body through out our economy. I published a economic impact study carried out by Phil Journeaux some time ago. Find. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and press the button. Full article in the Farmers Weekly June 13th 2022 front page. Page 25 of same . Lets value it. Referring to owners of land with indigenous forest. Page 26 of the same Alan Emmerson hits the spot. Proposed gas plan misses the mark. A kg of food not produced here will be produced else where..NZ taxing food production. Put us out of business. NZ farmers have the lowest carbon foot print in the world. Will are importing food from country’s with a higher carbon foot print. Points out starving people in the world .276 million in Africa alone. A 500% increase in 5 years. Concludes with the statement . Its All Political. An independent Maori board ? Why. I have made it plain via this blog. Its all about Returning Aotearoa to it’s Rightful owners.???? Alan makes a good point .Maori want us to move away from industrial practices. Do maori want us to return to picks and shovels. Well he is not wrong. Last days of my time in Horizons, Agi Research started talking about “Natural Capital of the land” No cost benefit analysis. State both the MPI and MfE refused to sign off on the HWEN report. Notes that experts saying that the mathematics and accounting of methane levels is acknowledged as inaccurate. Sound familiar. Stifling food production.
There is a very good article in June 2022 edition of the North and South mag. We have entered carbon country. Winners and losers’. This is a must read. pg 50. Spells the real facts that i have also expressed in this blog. Claim for 16yrs. Build up credit balance for later break down of the forest canopy. Carbon farmers to end up with a worthless forest costing them money. Degradation of water quality . Communities gone. The financial effects can be seen in the NZ economy. Interviews NZ Carbon Farming owners ,Walsh and Miller. They are all positive positive . Environmental Defence Society CEO Gary Taylor states. Carbon farms will be a mess for over 150 yrs. Degrading landscape values at an industrial scale. Forests will look like a scene from a Mad Max movie. A toxic legacy. Large emitters will simply by more land. and 16 yrs later more land. Speculators and international trading houses showing lots of interest in the NZ carbon market. Identifies how the Govt hoped to control the price so as not to cause internal economic stress. But the Govt has been out gunned by institutional investor’s. Our Govt says no evidence speculators driving up the price. We have all heard that yarn before.
But here we are in July of 2022. AND GUESS WHAT . The Farmers Weekly May 23, 2022 pg 41. Real Estate page. For Sale. The NZ Redwood Company Estate A Mr Holmes, a Canadian, and one of the first to start buying up land through out the central North Is, planting Red Wood trees. A Iconic tree in North America. Just like our Kauri, and takes just as long to reach maturity. 600 yrs. Here in NZ 60 yrs. Of course the timber is of poorer quality and as Dame Margrete Liley said .Only good for coffins in Korea. The Liley Partners were one of the very first farm foresters in NZ. Guess what. Back into sheep and beef as they harvest. I under stand that Mr Holmes is also a large share holder in the NZ Carbon Farming as well. Mr Holmes is selling 4 forests, land area of 8100 hec estimated 108,000 t carbon p.a at 2033. So this guy was one of the first carbon farmers to enter the market. A lot of these trees have only just reached a claimable stage. He has spent large amount of money buying and planting. He wants out. Why. With regard to the above one must then accept something is going on. You have read my thoughts in previous blogs. The World economy cannot with stand such cost on production and the supply of food. Does he recognise such , or is it purely for personal reasons.? Only time will tell .