New Zealand’s government has unveiled plans to fight climate change by taxing sheep and cattle farts. In doing so, the country will become the firs nation to charge farmers for the methane emissions of their livestock.
According to the BBC:
New Zealand is home to just over five million people, along with around 10 million cattle and 26 million sheep.
Almost half the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, mainly methane.
However, agricultural emissions have previously not been included in New Zealand’s emissions trading scheme, which has been criticised by those calling for the government to do more to stop global warming.
“There is no question that we need to cut the amount of methane we are putting into the atmosphere, and an effective emissions pricing system for agriculture will play a key part in how we achieve that,” New Zealand’s climate change minister James Shaw said.
Under the proposal farmers will have to pay for their gas emissions from 2025.
The plan also includes incentives for farmers who reduce emissions through feed additives, while planting trees on farms could be used to offset emissions.
Andrew Hoggard – who is a dairy farmer and the national president of Federated Farmers of New Zealand – told the BBC that he broadly approved of the proposals.
“We’ve been working with the government and other organisations on this for years to get an approach that won’t shut down farming in New Zealand, so we’ve signed off on a lot of stuff we’re happy with.”
“But you know, like all of these types of agreements with many parties involved, there’s always going to be a couple of dead rats you have to swallow,” he added.
We really are living in the age of lunacy, aren’t we?
I’m sure there was a time when the bloke who suggested taxing animal farts would have been carted off to the asylum to cool off for a bit.
Nowadays he’s likely to be running a country.
All part of the carbon tax agenda if there is a god or even if aliens are watching us he or they must shake their head in disbelief 🙄
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There was a time when the obsession over farting was considered a sign of immaturity. Personally, apart from the occasional joke, I still think that.
As to the impact on farming. At best, the higher taxation will mean a higher cost of meat; and at worst will mean huge numbers of livestock will be destroyed and not replaced.
From an entirely different perspective, it could be argued that cows are a non-native, invasive species to New Zealand. But by that argument, so are most New Zealanders.
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My brother went to live in Aus from uk, he bangs on about bloody immigrants trying to get into the country 🤯
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Much like many in Britain moaning about immigrants coming here, not learning the culture or language, and not fitting in – and then moving to somewhere like Spain and doing all of the same kind of things they complained of in others.
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The implications aside, this made me chuckle. One of the first thoughts to come to mind was ‘alien probes’.
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The way we are heading, how long will it be before our jailers start taxing our emissions. Or perhaps leveeing a tax upon us for the air that we breath. As they did on Mars in Total Recall. Maybe I’m speaking a lot of hot air, but after what we have witnessed the last two years.?
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Mr Fox I hope you haven’t broken wind this morning otherwise Richie Sunak will be sending you a penalty charge for your repeated environmental violations. They are listening in remotely on your mobile phone for any incriminating noises.
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Hi Mark, not yet, but there’s plenty of time.
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the world is getting more insane year by year. taxing farts ffs where does it all end
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Ha ha ha ha…….I’m sure there was a time when the bloke who suggested taxing animal farts would have been carted off to the asylum to cool off for a bit.
Nowadays he’s likely to be running a country.
Indeed!
Maybe Jucinda should stop talking!
What i want to know is why is lamb so expensive? 26 million in NZ alone, most fields i have seen in the UK has sheep.
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