In New Zealand, if a cow or sheep emits gases, such as a burp or a fart – a natural body action – this can generate a hefty tax bill for the owner.
The government is working to create a carbon pricing structure reflecting cattle emissions’ environmental impact.
The revenue generated would be used to finance climate projects in the country.
The goal of the tax is to encourage the adoption of farming practices that reduce or direct emissions.
The initiative aims to encourage the country’s farmers to organize their production, plant suitable pastures, better feed their animals to limit flammable gases and adopt other environmental practices.
The discussion about the flatulences emitted by animals is old.
Large-scale cattle farming can represent a potential for pollution, little imagined by their breeders, but scientists worldwide have warned for a long time.
During digestion, these animals produce a lot of methane, 21 times more active than carbon dioxide in retaining the sun’s rays that heat the globe, contributing 23% of the greenhouse effect.
In cattle, the most curious thing is that most of the gases do not come out loudly through the anus of the animals but through their mouths, like a burp, along with their breathing.
The carbon tax in New Zealand applies only to dairy farms.
Companies used to raise cattle for meat production, and other farms will not be charged.
The president of the cattlemen’s group Federated Farmers, Andrew Hoggard, warned that this program could “destroy New Zealand’s small towns.”
In a post on Twitter, the farmers’ federation said, “Government farm emissions plan – say goodbye to small towns in New Zealand”.
It is good to remember that the biggest culprit for excessive global warming is carbon dioxide emitted by factories and cars.
With information from Revista Oeste
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