Exploring New Zealand export market consumer preferences for emission reductions in agri-food production

Abstract

Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions make up 50 per cent of New Zealand’s gross emissions. Reducing these emissions is needed to achieve our 2050 target, including the requirement to reduce biogenic methane emissions by 24–47 per cent by 2050. Other jurisdictions are starting to consider how trade levers can be used to enforce sustainability requirements on imported goods. While market pressure poses a risk to the sector, it also presents an opportunity to meet the market with low-emissions agricultural products. In turn those consumer preferences will increasingly drive our transition to a lower-emissions agriculture sector. In an exploration of the potential for consumer behaviour to provide emissions reduction incentives to primary production sectors, this presentation will describe the application of a series of Discrete Choice Experiment surveys in New Zealand’s key export markets to identify consumer preferences over a variety of credence attributes. And will focus on the role of emission attributes in product choice, summarising consumer willingness-to-pay for reductions, and profiling consumer segments offering greatest potential.