Denmark Enacts First-Ever Animal Fart Tax to Fight Climate Change
This stinks to high heaven.
There’s something - quite literally- rotten in Denmark: a first-ever animal flatulence (carbon) tax is now law. From the BBC:
From 2030, farmers in Denmark will have to pay a tax for their animals' farts.
This is because cow, sheep and pig burps and farts produce a greenhouse gas called methane, which contribute to global warming and climate change.
The "flatulence tax" means farmers will have to pay 300 kroner (£34) per tonne of methane that their animals produce in a bid to drive down Denmark's emissions.
This has been decided after months of debate between the country's major political parties, Danish farmers, trade unions and environmental groups.
It is called The Green Tripartite agreement.
…
Around 60% of Denmark's territory is currently cultivated, which means it is farmed.
Therefore, the farming industry is responsible for a large proportion of Denmark's pollution.
According to a 2023 report, the Danish agricultural industry had not reduced its greenhouse gas emissions for more than ten years.
But the new Green Tripartite agreement aims to reduce the whole nation's CO2 emissions by up to 2.35 million tonnes by 2032.
The minister leading the project, Jeppe Bruus, said they will “do what it takes to reach our climate goals”.
The plan includes trying to improve the biodiversity of the country by replacing farm land with over 250,000 hectares of new forest, according to Danish news outlet The Copenhagen Post.
They hope this will, in turn, improve the waterways around the country and improve drinking water.
I analyzed this flawed policy, when it was initially proposed, back in June at IWF, writing, “The European Union (EU), including Denmark, has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 by targeting agriculture to meet this goal.”
Make no bones about it: This is part of the European Union’s - especially Denmark’s - efforts to forcibly wean people off of meat. And it won’t succeed. I added:
This announcement coincides with the Danish government urging its population to transition to a plant-based diet. Bloomberg reported, “In an effort to slash tons of agriculture emissions from its carbon footprint, the Nordic nation is rolling out what is the world’s first government-led action plan for plant-based foods. The 40-page strategy, which involves no bans or restrictions, embraces a number of unconventional initiatives to make animal-free meals more enticing, tastier and accessible.”
This claim is misleading because the Danish action plan, unveiled last fall, says the government “wants to strengthen the Danish plant-based food sector” by instituting “a number of initiatives that support the value chain.”
The ultimate goal here is to wean Danes off of meat consumption, with the plan adding, “Plant-based foods are the future. If we want to reduce the climate footprint within the agricultural sector, then we all have to eat more plant-based foods…”
Can you change the chemical makeup of cow farts with selective breeding? Will taxing animal flatulence actually reduce emissions? Sorry to disappoint you, but no - this is unlikely to happen. Here’s why:
Can cows and pigs be selectively bred to reduce methane emissions? It’s possible but not without significant trade-offs, farmers and ranchers argue. Brett Moline, director of Public and Governmental Affairs for the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, told Cowboy State Daily that cows bred for zero emissions could result in lower-quality meat:
“You could get a cow with zero emissions,” Moline said. “But if the meat product is worthless, what good is it doing? You can’t sacrifice low emissions for good quality meat.”
Selective breeding can be a zero-sum game. Moline cautioned that, as has happened in the past, favoring the lineage of one trait will likely be to the detriment of others.
“The ultimate goal of selective breeding in cattle is the highest-quality meat,” Moline said. “If cattle are selectively bred for their lower methane outputs, that could sacrifice the quality of the product.”
The Government of Western Australia also warned that selective breeding for methane could incur other risks. It conceded tracking methane emissions is “difficult” and warned smaller cattle operations will see lower income benefits. The agency also argued that “increased feed conversion efficiency” results in increased stocking rate—which would, ironically, increase total methane emissions.
This policy won’t come to our shores these next four years, but don’t be surprised to see American environmentalists toy with the idea. They already have in California. Though the Golden State might have buyers remorse with related climate credits for cow poop. The incoming Trump-Vance administration won’t support this ridiculous policy. But we, as Americans, should be aware of the implications of this Danish law.
I loved my visit to Copenhagen last month, but I’m not a fan of the country’s politics. The Danes are great people who are terribly served by their far-left government and many in Brussels.
I don’t expect farmers there to comply. They aren’t keen about the EU Green New Deal - where all these crazy policies emanate from. Expect more protests.
Will Denmark reconsider or double down? Let’s hope reason prevails.
This is so weird!
Has anyone ever tried to quantify the emissions and the impact of those specific emissions on global temp, or global emissions? Off hand, I'd be surprised if it were more than flyshit in the pepper.
These clowns have WAY too much time on their hands!