An excuse to tax or a solution to emissions?
Farts, especially those of animals, are considered a massive problem for sustainability and climate change. Therefore, New Zealand has suggested charging for the polluting emissions by taxing gas produced by the 36 million cows and sheep in the country. The law would be the first in the world to impose a tax on sheep and cow farts as well as burps and pee.
The farming sector in New Zealand promptly denounced the action. Federated Farmers, the industry’s major lobby organization, warned that it would run the risk of hurting the domestic food supply, claiming the proposal would result in the replacement of farmland with trees.
According to the group’s president Andrew Hoggard, farmers have been attempting to engage with the government on an emissions reduction strategy that will “keep farmers farming” for more than two years.
He claims that because of the proposed charge, farmers will be forced to sell their farms. Opposition politicians say that this will result in a relocation of farming to nations with lower food production efficiency due to increasing global emissions.
However, according to New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern, the levy would strengthen the country’s agriculture sector because all proceeds will go toward funding innovative technologies, market research, and farmer incentive programs.
“New Zealand’s farmers are set to be the first in the world to reduce agricultural emissions, positioning our biggest export market for the competitive advantage that brings in a world increasingly discerning about the provenance of their food”, Ms. Ardern said.
Although the farming sector is crucial to New Zealand’s economy, it is also responsible for nearly half of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. There are only 5 million people living in the Pacific island nation, but there are also 26 million sheep, 10 million beef, and dairy cattle. According to the government’s net zero plan, farm animal methane emissions need to be cut by up to 47% by 2050 and by 10% by 2030.
Anyway, it’s hard to say if the government is going to use this strategy to really fix a problem or just to have an excuse to tax more citizens.
