The New Zealand policy framework for sustainable agriculture and
some implications for animal production research.
A.B. Walker, J.A. Frizelle, S.D. Morris
MAF Policy, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, P.O. Box 2526,
Wellington, New Zealand.
Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 1994,
54: 369-272
International environmental influences are becoming increasingly
important to farm management decisions on New Zealand farms. New Zealand
has been active in meeting international commitments in issues such as the
UNCED Biodiversity Convention, the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change, and the Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depletion. New Zealand now
needs to focus on the impacts of agriculture on the environment. This paper
backgrounds recent policy developments in New Zealand leading up to the
release of a Ministry or Agriculture and Fisheries position paper on sustainable
agriculture. The position paper defines sustainable agriculture as having
environmental, economic, social and market dimensions. MAF believes that
new approaches will be needed to encourage farmers to adopt more sustainable
farming systems. There are market opportunities presented by providing
customers with assurances of the environmental quality of our products and the
processes by which they are produced. There are also issues of resource
degradation that must be addressed through standards under the Resource
Management Act. The influence of these changes on farming practices in New
Zealand is reviewed in this paper. Issues confronting farming systems
researchers and animal production scientists wishing to contribute to
sustainable agriculture in New Zealand are identified.
Keywords: NZSAPAB;
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Last Updated 25-01-1997
