Law removing future ETS agriculture obligations passes first reading

The government's proposed law change to keep agriculture out of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) has passed its first reading.

The current law would have required agricultural processors to begin paying for fertiliser and livestock processing from the beginning of next year. It would also require animal farmers to report on-farm emissions from 2026, and begin paying for them the following year.

But the government's Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Scheme Agricultural Obligations) Amendment Bill removes reference to agricultural activities from the Act, so that only industrial activities are subject to the ETS.

Read more on RNZ.