Mike Bain/cvnznews.com
The Conservative Party New Zealand is calling for an end to large-scale carbon farming, arguing that the practice is damaging rural communities, reducing agricultural production, and creating unintended environmental problems.
Party leader Helen Houghton said carbon farming under the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) had failed both economically and environmentally.
“The government tried to sell 3.9 million carbon credits last month. Nobody bought any,” Houghton said, noting it was the seventh consecutive quarterly auction where all units on offer failed to sell.
She argued the policy was also contributing to the loss of productive farmland, particularly sheep and beef properties that have been converted into pine forests to earn carbon credits.
“The economic failure also is seen in the depopulation of rural New Zealand and the decline in rural communities as employment is virtually zero in unmanaged forest blocks compared to a farming economy,” she said.
Houghton said forestry investors were displacing food production while creating few long-term jobs. “You can’t eat pine needles and cones,” she said.
The debate over carbon farming has become increasingly contentious in recent years, particularly in parts of the North Island and East Coast where large areas of farmland have been sold for forestry conversion. Supporters argue that carbon forestry helps New Zealand meet emissions reduction targets, while critics say it can hollow out rural economies and permanently remove productive land from agriculture
Federated Farmers has also raised concerns about the scale of farmland conversion into exotic forestry. Farmers in affected regions have warned that declining farm numbers can reduce demand for local businesses, schools, and services, placing additional pressure on already struggling rural communities.
Houghton also criticised the environmental impact of extensive pine plantations, claiming they consume significant amounts of water, increase wildfire risks, and threaten biodiversity when established as large monocultures.
“Carbon farming is an economic failure and an environmental disaster,” she said.
The party is urging the Government to reform the ETS and prioritise productive farming land, arguing that New Zealand’s environmental goals must be balanced against food production, rural employment, and the long-term viability of provincial communities.
