About the Greenhouse Gas Inventory
The annual Greenhouse Gas Inventory includes an accounting of man-made emissions and removals of greenhouse gases for energy, industrial processes, agriculture, land use, land-use change and forestry, and waste.
The Inventory is produced by government agencies. MPI is responsible for producing the chapter on agricultural emissions (the Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Inventory).
The Ministry for the Environment compiles the Inventory and submits it to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for publication in mid-April each year. The Inventory is then reviewed by a team of experts from the UNFCCC, who ensure the reporting meets international guidelines. These experts also make recommendations for future improvements to the Inventory.
Read more about New Zealand's Greenhouse Gas Inventory on the Ministry for the Environment website
The Ministry for the Environment also uses this information to update New Zealand’s Interactive Emissions Tracker. This is an interactive tool which displays emissions data from the latest Inventory report.
View the Interactive Emissions Tracker from the Ministry for the Environment website
The Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Emissions from the agricultural sector make up approximately half of the total gross emissions from New Zealand. MPI reports annually on greenhouse gases from the agricultural sector under New Zealand's commitment to the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol.
The reporting includes estimations of biological emissions from:
- livestock
- fertiliser applications
- cropping activities.
The greenhouse gases reported for agriculture are mostly methane and nitrous oxide. The remainder is carbon dioxide. The agriculture inventory excludes emissions from processing, electricity use and transport. These are counted in the 'Energy' section of the inventory.
MPI's Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research Fund aims to improve the accuracy of greenhouse gas emissions reporting from agriculture, forestry, and other land use.
Learn about Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research Fund
Methodology used to prepare the inventories
All national greenhouse gas inventories are prepared in line with a set of reporting guidelines that are published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Countries can either use the default methods and values published in these guidelines to estimate their emissions or they can develop their own country-specific methods.
Many of the IPCC's default values are based on Northern Hemisphere research which are not well-suited for New Zealand conditions. Instead, New Zealand uses a mixture of country-specific (i.e. derived from New Zealand research) and default methodologies to estimate agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, as well as statistical information about national livestock numbers and agricultural production. The country-specific methods are developed under a comprehensive and ongoing research programme. MPI makes regular changes to the Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Inventory to incorporate new science and research.
Recognition for GHG mitigation technologies or inhibitors in the Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Inhibitors or mitigation technologies may be used in the future to reduce the production of methane or nitrous oxide. The national inventory must recognise the use of inhibitors or mitigation technologies as they become available and are used by farmers, to maintain the accuracy of emissions estimates and emission reduction targets.
The Guidance for Incorporating Inhibitors into the Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Inventory document provides guidance on the Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Inventory improvement process to seek and gain recognition for an inhibitor. It could also be applied more widely to other proposed improvements. Early engagement with the Greenhouse Gas Inventory team is recommended but not essential for successfully making changes to the current methodology.
Guidance for incorporating inhibitors into the Agricultural GHG Inventory [PDF, 632 KB]
Agriculture Inventory Advisory Panel
The Panel is an independent group of greenhouse gas emissions and inventory experts who provide advice on proposed changes to New Zealand’s Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Inventory. Their role is to assess the evidence for proposed changes and advise on whether the changes are scientifically robust, while also meeting the reporting guidelines.
Learn more about the Agriculture Inventory Advisory Panel
Differences between the Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) regulatory process
Recognising an inhibitor product within the Agriculture Inventory is independent of registering it under the ACVM Act. However, some of the same information is required.
Both the ACVM regulatory process and the Greenhouse Gas Inventory require a proposed mitigation to be proved effective by robust peer-reviewed research conducted in New Zealand conditions. However, the Greenhouse Gas Inventory approval process is different as it needs to meet international reporting requirements under the UNFCCC. To be included in the Greenhouse Gas Inventory, accurate data on the use of an inhibitor product must be available. It should also be possible to estimate the emission reductions from using the product in real world conditions.
The ACVM website has more information on the ACVM Act requirements. Manufacturers can discuss ACVM requirements for their inhibitor product with MPI at approvals@mpi.govt.nz
Learn more about the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines
Find out more
Download a technical paper about methodologies for calculating agricultural greenhouse gas emission [PDF, 3.5 MB]
Browse the Agricultural Greenhouse Inventory research projects supported by MPI
