New Zealand Proposes Taxing Cow Burps, Angering Farmers

New Zealand Proposes Taxing Cow Burps, Angering Farmers

New Zealand's government recently proposed taxing the greenhouse gases from farm animals as part of a plan to fight climate change. Farm animals produce gases through natural processes like burping and urinating.

The government said the taxes would be a world's first. They said that farmers should be able to get the money back by charging more for climate-friendly products.

But farmers quickly criticized the plan.

Federated Farmers is the industry's main political support group. It said the plan would "rip the guts¹ out of small-town New Zealand" and see farms replaced with trees.

Andrew Hoggard, the group's president, said farmers had been trying to work with the government for more than two years. They were working on a plan to reduce greenhouse gas production that would not decrease food production. Hoggard said, "Our plan was to keep farmers farming." But, with the taxes, he said, farmers would be quickly selling their farms.

The conservative ACT Party is the main opposition² group. Members of the party said the plan would increase worldwide greenhouse gas production by moving farming to other countries that were less efficient at making food.

More cows than people

New Zealand's farming industry is very important for its economy. Milk products, including those used to make milk for baby food in China, are the nation's largest export earner.

There are just 5 million people in New Zealand. But the country has some 26 million sheep and 10 million farm animals producing milk and meat.

About half of New Zealand's greenhouse gas comes from farms. Farm animals produce gasses that warm the planet like methane³ and nitrous oxide⁴ from burping and urinating.

The New Zealand government wants to reduce greenhouse gas production and make the country carbon neutral by 2050. Under the government's proposal, farmers would start to pay for greenhouse gas production in 2025. The price has yet to be finalized⁵.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said all the money collected from the proposed tax would be put back into the industry. It would support new technology, research, and payments for farmers.

Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor said New Zealand farmers were already experiencing the impact of climate change with periods of dry weather and flooding. "Taking the lead on agricultural emissions⁶ is both good for the environment and our economy," he said.

The proposal is similar to another unsuccessful proposal made in 2003 to tax farm animals for their methane production. Back then, farmers greatly opposed the idea and political opponents criticized it. And the government dropped the plan.

The debate in New Zealand is part of a larger international discussion on the effects of farming on the environment and the steps some say are needed to reduce its impact.

In the European nation of the Netherlands, farmers have blocked large, busy roads with farming products and vehicles. They did so to protest government proposals to decrease the production of greenhouse gases.

Words in This Story

greenhouse gas - n. gas that cause the warming of the earth's atmosphere

burp - v. to let out air from the stomach through the mouth with a sound

urinate --– v. to send urine out of the body

rip the guts out of – phr. v. to hurt someone or something in the worst possible way

efficient – adj. capable of producing desired results without wasting materials, time, or energy

1 guts   

v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠

参考例句：

• I'll only cook fish if the guts have been removed. 鱼若已收拾干净，我只需烧一下即可。
• Barbara hasn't got the guts to leave her mother. 巴巴拉没有勇气离开她妈妈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

4 oxide   

n.氧化物

参考例句：

• Oxide is usually seen in our daily life.在我们的日常生活中氧化物很常见。
• How can you get rid of this oxide coating?你们该怎样除去这些氧化皮？

5 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。