It may sound like a joke, but its not.
Farmers in Denmark have been advised that starting from 2030, they are going to be forced to pay a tax for cows, sheep, and pig farts. Don’t ask me how they are going to this but authorities say they are going to monitor the livestock and tax them based off their “emissions” (farts).
The country’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an impressive 70 percent from what they were in 1990, all by the year 2030.
From the year 2030 onwards, Danish livestock farmers will be required to pay 300 kroner – approximately $43 – per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent their animals produce. This tax will escalate to 750 kroner, or roughly $108, by 2035. However, due to a 60 percent income tax deduction, the actual cost per ton will commence at merely 120 kroner (or $17.3) and rise to 300 kroner by 2035.
Taxation Minister, Jeppe Bruus, has suggested this move will propel the country significantly closer to achieving climate neutrality by 2045. He’s also stated Denmark will be the pioneer to introduce an actual CO2 tax on agriculture, and is hopeful other nations will adopt a similar approach.
In an interesting development, New Zealand had previously passed a similar law, set to come into effect in 2025, which aimed to tackle all livestock emissions. However, this was met with incredible amounts of backlash from farmers and was ultimately abandoned following a change in government in 2023. Instead, New Zealand has announced plans to investigate other methods to decrease methane, excluding agriculture from its emissions trading scheme.
As for Denmark, it remains uncertain how they intend to monitor the emissions of individual animals.
So Denmark has passed a tax that they intended to impose on their food supply and have no clue how to enforce it.
Meanwhile, watch the video below of a farmer who shocks a reporter when he discusses permaculture methods that are good for the land and everybody.
This farmer gives a reporter an absolute schooling on the importance of cows within the carbon cycle. Instead of following the ‘science’ of net zero, follow the science of regenerative farmers. pic.twitter.com/bjs8w724rA
— James Melville (@JamesMelville) May 29, 2024
