The subject made the front page of New Zealand radio on Tuesday, October 11. We can hear the presenter of the newspaper stressing that this bill could lead many farmers to put the key under the door, because it plans to be in force from 2025. This project carried by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is a world first: it is quite simply a matter of making farmers who own farm animals pay a tax. And there are many of them in New Zealand: the country has between 6 and 7 million cows, compared to 5 million humans, not to mention 26 million sheep!
However, cows emit a lot of methane, especially when burping, and also nitrous oxide, via their urine. In both cases, these gases contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. The bill still has to be debated in Parliament, but the objective is therefore to implement it within three years maximum. This is part of New Zealand’s commitments to halve its emissions by 2030.
The main agricultural associations are up in arms against the project. “Beef and Lamb New Zealand” and “Federated Farmers“believe that this project will”tearing the guts out of small towns in new zealand“. They estimate the bill at 3 billion dollars for farmers and affirm that many of them will sell their land. They also underline the importance of the issue for the country’s trade balance: agricultural products, and Dairy products in particular are one of New Zealand’s main export items, particularly to China.
The government replies that farmers, in compensation for the payment of this tax, will be able to increase their prices or receive aid to switch their activities to less polluting practices. But it is still a risky electoral bet for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Elections are next year, and his party is neck and neck with the Conservative opposition in the polls. The voices of farmers could therefore weigh heavily.
That said, the fact is that cow burps are really polluting. Methane is the second most harmful greenhouse gas, after carbon dioxide emitted by transport and industry. Last year, IPCC scientists warned about the level of methane concentration, which has never been so high in the world. In New Zealand, agriculture accounts for 50% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. The intensive breeding of cattle, cows and oxen, is therefore necessarily in the hot seat. Science is also exploring alternative solutions, for example by inoculating anti-methane vaccines or by modifying the diet of cattle by introducing flax or rapeseed, which would limit methane emissions through cow burps.