Farm emissions

As a farmer I believe that Professor Dave Kelly (Letters, Nov 24) hits the nail on the head and John McCaskey, in reply, (Nov 26) simply endorses your headline ‘‘Complete failure on farm emissions’’, sadly.

If 120,000 farming families had not exited farming since the 1960s, we would all be driving round in little grey Ferguson and blue Fordson tractors (which when under load were leaking oil and belching black smoke) and lifting potatoes by hand.

That time has moved on. Now we are seeing another green revolution.

One where environmental and social aspects are coming into the equation and rightly so.

Groundswell says it does not oppose change but the need for change is on us and it is immediate.

Groundswell’s message is ‘‘ok we accept that change is necessary’’.

But the reality is ‘‘not in my backyard and not on my time’’.

A sad summary of all of us who would talk the talk but will not walk the walk.

Andrew Luddington, Tai Tapu (abridged)