COPENHAGEN: Denmark will introduce the world’s first carbon tax on livestock, a unique measure designed to bring the Scandinavian country closer to its goal of carbon neutrality by 2045.

From 2030, methane emissions caused by flatulence from cattle and pigs will be taxed at a rate of 300 kroner ($43) per tonne of CO2 equivalent. This amount will rise to 750 kroner in 2035 under the terms of an agreement reached at the end of June between the government, part of the opposition and representatives of livestock farmers, industry and trade unions.

The text still has to be approved by parliament which will examine it after the summer.

For Christian Fromberg, a campaign leader at Greenpeace Nordic, the text “offers hope... in a situation where a lot of countries are backpedalling on climate action.” “While the carbon tax should have been both higher and implemented sooner, it does marks a significant milestone,” he said.

At the same time, Fromberg deplored the “missed opportunity” to bring about “a new direction for Danish agriculture”.

This is despite the fact that its practices remain highly intensive and discharges a lot of nitrogen, which is responsible for deoxygenating the water. Without oxygen, marine flora and fauna disappear.

For the Danish Asso­ciation for Sust­ainable Agriculture, however, the agreement is “useless”. It is “a sad day for agriculture”, it said in a press release.

“As a farmer, I feel uncomfortable because we are taking part in an uncertain experiment” that could threaten “the security of the food supply”, said the association’s president Peter Kiaer, recalling

New Zealand’s abandonment of a similar proposal in the face of farmers protesting. To soften the bill for Danish farmers, the plan proposes a 60 per cent tax deduction.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2024