New Zealand’s plan: making farmers pay for their emissions

If the government approves today’s proposal from New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, farmers will have to pay emissions taxes from 2025.

unique tax

“No other country in the world has a system to tax and reduce agricultural emissions,” Ardern said. New Zealand media.

According to her, farmers will benefit from the plan, which the government should evaluate early next year. “For example, our farmers are not only the best in the world, but also the best in the world,” the prime minister says of the plan.

The largest exporter of dairy products

New Zealand is the world’s largest exporter of dairy products and agriculture is very important to the country’s economy. This also has consequences for the climate: nearly half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions are caused by farmers.

If the proposal is made, farmers will have to pay for, among other things, the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide that cows emit. Methane is released like cows Farts and burps Leaves. New Zealand has more than six million cows.

Nitrogen emissions are not included in the plan, possibly because nitrogen is not a greenhouse gas and therefore has no direct impact on climate change.

farmers cooperation

New Zealand aims to reduce methane emissions by 10 percent by 2030 compared to 2017. By 2050, the country wants to be zero emissions.

Remarkably, the New Zealand Peasant Movement itself contributed to this plan. The agricultural sector is not satisfied with the current system that limits the number of emissions allowances a company receives, because it is not well targeted to farmers. This “sharp tool” disappears when every farmer is taxed.

innovative technologies

The money the New Zealand government is raising in this measure should be invested in innovative technologies to further reduce emissions. This will eventually lower the bill the farmer receives, according to the government. Farmers with many trees on their property should receive a discount.