New Zealand farmers must pay taxes on the greenhouse gases produced by their 36 million cattle. The effect: Meat becomes more expensive – and more sustainable. The income goes to climate protection.
New Zealand has about 5.16 million inhabitants – but about ten million cattle and 26 million sheep. During digestion, the animals emit methane gas that is harmful to the environment. Therefore, their flatulence and farmers should be taxed from 2025, according to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
So New Zealand is that first country in the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock farming in this way. It is not yet known how high the tax will be.
All revenues should be returned to farmers through research, financing of new technologies and tax incentives. This gives New Zealand’s agricultural industry competitive advantages in an increasingly climate-conscious market, the “Zeit” reports.
The agricultural industry criticized the tax. The farmers had been negotiating with the government for two years about how to reduce emissions without cutting food production, Die Zeit continued.
Video: In New Zealand there‘s housebroken cows
Potty training for Simmental cattle
The New Zealanders have come up with a number of ideas to reduce the environmental impact of raising livestock. They have already proven that it is possible to house cows. They trained cloven-hoofed ungulates to urinate in a latrine set up for going to the toilet. But the challenge now is to extend the concept to train large herds and adapt it to environments like New Zealand, where the animals spend most of their time outdoors rather than indoors.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
