cows in the sights in Ireland and the Netherlands

Do we need fewer cows to save the climate? Meat consumption and cattle breeding are regularly singled out for their impact on global warming. In France, the Court of Auditors, for example, recommended in a report published in May to reduce the number of cows in the herd. “The balance sheet of cattle breeding for the climate is unfavorable”writes the institution, which recommends that the government “define and make public a reduction strategy” the number of cows reared in France.

In Ireland, the government plans to cull 200,000 dairy cows over the next three years to try to meet its climate commitments. An idea that is at the top of the list of options considered by the government. Agriculture is the most polluting sector on the island. The 135,000 farms in the country represent 37.5% of Irish emissions, the highest rate in Europe. This pollution is explained in particular by the methane released by these ruminants, it is the second greenhouse gas that contributes the most to global warming. It doesn’t stay in the atmosphere as long as carbon dioxide, but it’s much more potent.

In the Netherlands, cows have also become a major source of concern. The government had planned to drastically reduce the cattle herd to keep only half of it. But the plan caused an unprecedented crisis, the anger of farmers ended up upending the Dutch political landscape and no resolution is in sight.