New Zealand’s aquaculture industry is crucial to the country’s economy and is its biggest export earner. The New Zealand government has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2025 and reducing methane gas emissions from farm animals by 10% by 2030.
New Zealand on Tuesday unveiled plans to tax greenhouse gas emissions from farm animals in an effort to combat climate change.
The scheme aims to make farmers pay for the gas emitted by their animals, which includes methane gas from farting or burping, and nitrous oxide from their urine, AFP reported on October 11.
Prime Minister Ardern said the levy would be the first of its kind in the world. Ardern told New Zealand farmers they could recoup their costs by producing climate-friendly products.
Ardern said the scheme would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farms and make produce more sustainable by improving the quality of New Zealand’s “export brands”.
The tax would be a world first. The government hopes to sign off on the plan by next year and introduce the tax within three years. The New Zealand government says farmers will start paying for emissions in 2025, but a price has not yet been set, and the levy will all be used to fund research into new agricultural technologies.
The plan has already sparked heated debate in New Zealand. Federated Farmers, the farm lobby group, attacked the plan as making it impossible for small farms to survive. Opposition lawmakers said the plan would effectively move industries to other, less efficient countries and ultimately increase global greenhouse gas emissions.
New Zealand’s aquaculture industry is crucial to the country’s economy and is its biggest export earner. The New Zealand government has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2025 and reducing methane gas emissions from farm animals by 10% by 2030.
Post time: Oct-27-2022