Everyone needs food. Therefore, we are all responsible for farming's impact on the environment. Singling out a minority group, i.e. farmers, causes needless conflict and social division. It also raises everyone's grocery bill. Most New Zealanders are finding times tough. Farmers are no different, and can go bankrupt with Labour's new tax. Many farmers are not able to absorb the Emissions Trading Scheme tax, and have to pass it on to supermarkets.

The Agricultural ETS will reduce NZ food production and wages of New Zealanders. It increases food imports from less environmentally developed countries. And, it has the unintended consequence of harming global ecology by reducing the world's consumption of NZ's ecofriendly food.

We must transition to a NZ-only ETS. And get rid of the Agricultural ETS. Taxing people's food supply so that they buy less meat and vegetables is (in my opinion) not the right way to sustain the environment. Internationally, agricultural ETS tax will cause some poor people to starve.

Andrew Clow, Te Puna.