War on cow farts is stinky but necessary job
24/03/2023 09:55
(The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions
expressed are her own.)
By Karen Kwok
LONDON, March 24 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Targeting
cows to fight climate change may seem counterintuitive. Yet,
governments from New Zealand to Europe are zeroing in on
livestock, whose burps and farts help generate 15% of global
greenhouse gas emissions each year, United Nations estimates
show. An industry backlash against plans to tackle the
issue will teach punters to treat burgers as polluting fuel.
Digestion and waste from cows and other ruminants produce
methane, a gas which is 80 times more powerful than carbon
dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere in the first 20 years
after its release. Cattle is a major contributor to methane
emissions from agriculture, which hit 142 metric tons in 2022,
triple the amount of those from the oil sector, according
to the International Energy Agency.
To meet the 2021 Glasgow pledge to reduce methane in the
atmosphere by at least 30% by 2030, European Union states
are discussing a proposal to impose emission limits on farms in
the 27-nation bloc, which would reduce livestock amounts. In New
Zealand, where agriculture makes up more than half the country’s
harmful gases, the government is looking to tax farmers based on
factors like the number of animals kept, the fertilizers used
and energy efficiency.
Getting these plans off the ground won’t be easy. Farmers in
Italy and Germany, which together make up over one quarter of
Europe’s beef production, are pushing back. True, milk and meat
producers could use technology
to curb emissions. Dutch specialty chemicals
company DSM DSMN.AS and Kiwi milk producer Fonterra FCG.NZ
make feed additives that allow cows to burp less. French dairy
giant Danone DANO.PA separates solids from liquids in milk
production, a process that can cut the methane released by over
a fifth. But it’s not applicable to every farm and can
be pricey.
The current regulatory push could also have some negative
consequences. ‘Cow fart’ taxes will make New Zealand’s milk
exports more expensive, driving consumer goods companies and
retailers to seek cheaper supplies from countries like Saudi
Arabia, which emits even more methane. Closing down farms will
also kick small players out of a fragmented farming market.
Yet if the price of meat goes up, that will close a gap with
plant-based burgers and steaks, which today cost twice as much
as animal-based ones, according to the Good Food Institute. That
will deter consumers from purchasing chops and sausages and opt
for less carbon-intensive alternatives.
The debate will ultimately beef up consumers’ awareness of
the danger that a growing cattle population poses to climate
change. The proposed government policies might not hit the
bull’s-eye. But like fossil fuels ten years ago, this will be
the start of a long but necessary battle.
CONTEXT NEWS
European Union countries agreed on March 16 to try to
reduce the number of farms covered by proposed rules to cut
pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from livestock.
The European Commission, which drafts EU laws, last year
proposed that all cattle, pig and poultry farms with over 150
livestock units, around 184,000, abide by emission limits.
French dairy company Danone on Jan. 17 pledged to
reduce methane emissions from its fresh milk supply chain by 30%
by 2030 from its 2020 level.
The New Zealand government in October 2022 proposed a system
to levy taxes on farmers based on the level of emissions from
their herds, in what has become known as the 'fart tax'.
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(Editing by Lisa Jucca and Pranav Kiran)
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