Denmark has just passed the first tax in the world on animal belches and flatulence in a bid to protect the environment.
The tax has been under negotiation for several years and was just passed by the Danish parliament.
The measure, which will go into effect in 2030, will see farmers assessed a charge of 300 Danish kroner (roughly $43) for each ton of carbon dioxide equivalent produced by their operations. This tax will more than double within five years, hitting 750 kroner (or around $106 right now) by 2035.
However, farmers will receive a 60% rebate because the technology does not yet exist to get rid of flatulence completely. The rebates will go up for farmers who take steps like sending their pig’s manure to machines that can pipe the methane to the gas grid or use additives in cows that will reduce the methane in their burps. Of course, one has to wonder what chemicals that can change an animal’s body chemistry enough to reduce the methane in their burps could do to the health of the people who consume them.
The government’s green transition minister, Jeppe Bruus, said in a statement: "We will do what it takes to reach our climate goals. [It is a] huge, huge task that is now underway: to transform large parts of our land from agricultural production to forestry, to natural spaces, to ensure that we can bring life back to our coastlines."
Denmark has five times as many cows and pigs as it does people, and almost two thirds of the country’s land is used for farming. As a result, agriculture contributes more to pollution than any other industry, putting it in green politicians’ crosshairs.
Arla Foods, the biggest dairy cooperative in Europe, is in favor of the move. Although they don’t necessarily support a tax, they believe that the compromise is a reasonable solution to the environmental concerns associated with dairy farming.
The company’s CEO, Peder Tuborgh, said: “They understand they need to do it; they want to do it. They know it is protecting their reputation, and they’re still producing.”
A dairy farmer who supplies Arla Foods, Jens Christian Sorensen, said he is trying to understand what the tax will mean for him as he has 300 milking cows along with a further 360 calves who are not yet producing any milk but are producing methane. He’s investing in sensors that can tip him off when his cows are sick, and he is tracking their food consumption and milk production as well.
Meanwhile, demand for Danish dairy is rising as global dairy consumption increases. Two thirds of Danish butter and half of its milk powder is exported.
Denmark also plans to convert 15% of its farmland into forests
This isn’t the only big move Denmark has made recently in the name of the environment. The country also announced last week that they will convert 15% of their farmland into natural habitats and forests as a way of decreasing their fertilizer use and its impact on marine life.
The government has set aside $6.1 billion to acquire land from farmers throughout the next two decades. They also plan to plant a billion trees on farmland during the same time period.