"Malaysia and Indonesia, will have to stop importing beef and lamb products from Australia and New Zealand as these animals emit methane from their gut which is a potent greenhouse gas which also causes global warming," said Malaysian Palm Oil Council chief executive Dr Yusof Basiron.
Agriculture accounts for 48 percent of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions -- most of it made up of methane emissions from livestock, and nitrous oxide from the urine of cattle and sheep. Australian farms are responsible for 16 percent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions, and two-thirds of that is methane produced by farm animals.
More than 300 local and international delegates are attending the conference to discuss policies towards palm oil in western markets, comparative greenhouse gas emissions from coal mining and oil palm plantations and, whether to conserve Sarawak's peat land or turn it into palm plantations, the Bernama news agency reported.
Activists have criticised rainforest clearance to plant huge areas in oil palms and other commodity crops because of the environmental damage -- such as loss of habitat for endangered orangutans -- and the greenhouse gas emissions from destruction of old-growth forests,
Dairy company Fonterra has been the subject of protests from environmental activists because its subsidiary, rural services company RD1, imports over one million tonnes of palm kernel extract (PKE) annually, mainly as feed for dairy cows.
Chocolate-maker, Cadbury tried to introduce palm oil in its local products, but stopped because of criticism.
Dr Basiron was critical of the proposed EU Renewable Energy Directive to control the use of palm oil as a biofuel and said the Malaysian government was likely to take the matter to the World Trade Organisation.
He suggested Malaysia and Indonesia could stop buying German cars on the basis that they are unsustainably produced through the use of electricity from coal-powered plants churning out greenhouse gases.
Malaysia and Indonesia are leading exporters of palm oil as they jointly account for 90 percent of world's palm oil production.
