Denmark’s Gassy Cows and Pigs To Be Hit by Carbon Tax in World First

The Danish government says the primary goal of the new tax is to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

AP/M.L.Johnson
Sows at Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks, Indiana are kept in large group pens with computer-controlled feeding systems. AP/M.L.Johnson

Denmark is set to make history by introducing the world’s first emissions tax on agriculture, requiring farmers to pay for the “greenhouse gases” released by their livestock, including cows, sheep, and pigs.

The Danish government says the primary goal of the new tax is to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, aiming for a 70 percent reduction by the year 2030. The ambitious target is part of Denmark’s broader strategy to combat climate change and promote environmental sustainability.

“We will take a big step closer in becoming climate neutral in 2045,” the Taxation Minister, Jeep Bruus, said, according to the Express.

Under the new rules. livestock farmers will be taxed $43 a ton of carbon dioxide their animals produce in 2030. The tax will jump to $108 a ton by 2035.

The move follows a similar effort in New Zealand, where a law was set to be implemented in 2025 but was quashed on Wednesday after facing heavy criticism from farmers.

Methane emissions from livestock are a significant environmental concern, as they account for more than 30 percent of human-related methane emissions globally, the Express wrote. Some 90 percent of the methane produced by livestock comes from the digestive process and is released through burps and farts.


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