New Zealand to host methane emissions workshop

An international workshop on livestock emissions will bring together 30 of the world's leading experts on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, says Minister of Agriculture David Carter.

Experts in the fields of genetics and enteric methane emissions will be in Wellington for the three-day workshop 3-5 March studying livestock breeding to reduce methane emissions.

"New Zealand wants to boost the priority given to advancing scientific research in cutting greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture," says Mr Carter.

"There's much international effort going into finding reduced emissions technologies for transport, energy and industry, but agriculture is not high on the list.

"Notably New Zealand argued this point at the recent climate change negotiations in Poznan, Poland. (Speech to UN Climate Change Conference)

"With 64 percent of our export base - and half our greenhouse gas emissions - coming from primary industry, it makes sense that we push the case for emissions-reducing technology in agriculture.

"This workshop is about New Zealand taking an important lead on the issue," says Mr Carter.

Note: The workshop builds on the research being done by the Livestock Emissions and Abatement Research Network (LEARN) into methane emissions from ruminant livestock, nitrous oxide from grazed grassland and a national inventory of agricultural emissions.

LEARN was initiated by New Zealand in 2007 and now involves more 300 researchers from 47 countries.