Breeders can breathe easy. The New Zealand center-right government announced on Tuesday June 11 the abandonment of its controversial plan on the taxation of greenhouse gas emissions through the burps and farts of livestock, which did not go down at all with farmers.
“The government is committed to meeting our climate change obligations, without closing farms”New Zealand Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said.
Furthermore, a new law will be presented to Parliament in June to exclude the agricultural sector from a new emissions pricing plan. “It’s absurd to have to relocate jobs and means of production, while less carbon-efficient countries produce the food the world needs”added the minister.
Zero emissions by 2050
Around six million cows and 26 million sheep graze in New Zealand. A little less than half of greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, livestock being the main culprit. Cattle burps and flatulence release methane, while cattle urine releases nitrous oxide into the atmosphere.
The previous Labor government, led by Jacinda Ardern had unveiled in October 2022 this project targeting farm animals, which had aroused the ire of breeders, in order to hope to achieve the objective of zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
For its part, the new center-right government says it wants to help farmers reduce emissions through technology, without reducing production or exports, said the agriculture minister.
On Sunday June 9, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources declared his intention to reverse the ban on new oil and gas exploration decided in 2018, which provoked indignation from the opposition and defense groups of the environment.