ENVIRONMENT – Flatulence becomes costly. From 2030, Denmark will tax breeders for the greenhouse gases emitted by their cows, sheep and pigs, the AP agency reported this Wednesday, June 26. It is the first country in the world to do so, after New Zealand abandoned the plan for 2025 due to farmers’ anger.
Agriculture is the sector that emits the most greenhouse gases in Denmark, in particular because of the methane emitted by the burps and farts of animals. Methane warms the planet about 80 times more than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. With this tax, the Danish government’s objective is therefore to reduce emissions by 70% compared to 1990 levels by 2030, said Taxation Minister Jeppe Bruus.
A “historic compromise”
Concretely, from 2030, Danish breeders will be taxed at 300 crowns (approximately 27 euros) per tonne of CO2 equivalent. This tax will increase to 750 crowns (approximately 66 euros) in 2035. The American media CBS specifies, however, that due to a tax deduction, the real cost per tonne will be 120 crowns in 2030 and 300 crowns in 2035.
The income generated by this tax will be grouped into a fund intended to support the green transition of the livestock sector for at least two years, adds the British media The Guardian. With this measurement, “nWe are writing a new chapter in the history of Danish agriculture”welcomed the Minister of Agriculture, Jacob Jensen.
The agreement was reached late Monday between the center-right government and representatives of farmers, industry and unions. The Danish Society for Nature Conservation, the largest nature and environmental protection organization in Denmark, called the tax agreement a “historic compromise”.
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