Federated Farmers president Katie Milne and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor flank Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at a meeting with the dairy farming community in the Waikato, shortly after the first confirmed case of Mycoplasma Bovis in the region.

New Zealand's farming sector appears to have quietly signed up to the Government's aspirational plan to be carbon neutral by 2050.

In a symbolic show of unity, the Farming Leaders Group has published to joint editorial statement with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, published today by Stuff.

While the piece is described the zero carbon initiative as "a very ambitious and challenging target" and said questions remained about what it meant for food production, it makes commits to working to achieving the goal.

"Today, farming leaders with the support of the Government are stating their support for this goal and the agri-food sector playing its part in achieving it," it reads.

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"The farming sector and Government are committed to working together to achieve net zero emissions from agri-food production by 2050."

While the Farming Leaders Group is new and describes itself as "informal", its members are luminaries of the sector, including the leaders of Federated Farmers, Dairy NZ, Beef and Lamb, the Meat Industry Association, the Fonterra Shareholders Council and Irrigation NZ.

It also has representation from major private companies, the Federation of Maori Authorities and Agriculture Trade Envoy Mike Petersen.

When the Zero Carbon Bill consultation was launched, the response from the farming community appeared to be positive on the tone but neutral on support.

Federated Farmers climate change spokesman Andrew Hoggard said on the day of the announcement that the organisation was "heartened that impacts on the economy" and a more nuanced view of different types of greenhouse gases were gaining prominence in the debate on climate change.

"It's a positive that the 'Our Climate, Your Say' document, released today, recognises that methane from livestock is a recycling, not accumulating, greenhouse gas. Methane has a half-life of around 12 years, whereas carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for hundreds of years."

Sunday's joint statement is high level, with nothing in the way of a measurable commitment.

"We have asked the farming sector's climate change experts to work with the Government's scientific advisers to better define the scope of the challenge and what actions will be needed from farmers, ensuring the Government knows what it can do to support any changes farmers may face."

Climate Change Minister James Shaw described the joint statement as "huge" in a post on Twitter.

"After decades of debate, we're nearing consensus as a country. There's a lot of hard yards yet to go, but this is a very significant step," the Green Party co-leader said.

The mere fact that the statement has been made at all between the sector and a Labour Prime Minister is highly symbolic.

Shortly before the 2017 election, Ardern, then the new Opposition leader, was met with protest from hundreds of farmers in her hometown of Morrinsville, organised by a Federated Farmers representative.

Days earlier, speaking on behalf of the organisation, Hoggard slammed Labour's tax plan, saying voters were left in the dark about what was coming.

"For Labour to say they're not able to be more explicit about what they have in mind until they have recommendations from the yet-to-be-named members of a tax panel is something of a cop-out, and certainly doesn't help voters."

But the joint statement says the farming leaders "meet with the new Government regularly to discuss our collective vision for the sector and our country".

The statement does not clarify whether Fonterra chairman John Wilson is still part of the Farming Leaders Group.

When the group launched at an event at the Ngaruroro River in Hawke's Bay with a pledge of making New Zealand's rivers swimmable, Wilson was named as a member of the group but was notable for his absence.