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New Zealand: Farmers oppose the first-ever burp and fart tax on animals

New Zealand: Farmers oppose the first-ever burp and fart tax on animals

New Zealand: Farmers oppose the first-ever burp and fart tax on animals

New Zealand: Farmers oppose the first-ever burp and fart tax on animals

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  • New Zealand is the first nation in the world to charge emissions from farm animals.
  • The so-called “burp and fart” tax was introduced last week by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
  • Rows of tractors and other farm equipment backed up traffic in cities across New Zealand.
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Farmers from New Zealand have congregated in cities and towns all throughout the nation to oppose the government’s proposal to become the first nation in the world to charge emissions from farm animals. The farmers are traveling in convoys of tractors and pickup trucks.

On Thursday, rows of tractors and other farm equipment backed up traffic in Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, and other towns as farmers protested the country’s center-left government’s decision to enact the so-called “burp and fart” tax.

The world’s first tax on agricultural emissions and biogenic methane, which is primarily produced by the estimated six million cows and 26 million sheep in New Zealand, was introduced last week by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Ardern has claimed that the levy is necessary to reduce global warming and would even help farmers if they can charge more for meat that is better for the environment.

However, thousands more agricultural workers joined the protest on Thursday under the banner “We’re not going to accept it,” which has infuriated New Zealand’s farmers.

The demonstration was organized by Groundswell New Zealand, whose cofounder, Bryce McKenzie, said that the levy threatened the viability of regional farms.

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Rural communities face an existential threat as a result of the government’s ideological commitment to punitive and ineffective carbon levies on food production, according to McKenzie.

However, McKenzie contends that any reductions “will be replaced by less efficient foreign farms” despite the government’s promises that the tax will lower animal emissions by 20%.

Despite being less prevalent and remaining in the atmosphere for a shorter period of time than carbon dioxide, methane is a far more powerful greenhouse gas.

Despite making up a small portion of the mix of greenhouse gases, scientists estimate that methane is responsible for about 30% of the global temperature rise.

Local farmer Mark Chandler told Radio New Zealand (RNZ) that the planned livestock emissions levy’s level of compliance was punishing.

He told RNZ, “There are a lot of things coming in that are just making life impossible.”

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“Weeks and weeks of administration and compliance are going to be required of a small-to-medium farmer, and that just doesn’t work — we didn’t enter this business to do that.”

Locals in Wellington also staged a counterprotest on Thursday, arguing that the agricultural industry must contribute to the fight against climate change.

People are sick of funding damaging and polluting agricultural practices, Valerie Morse told RNZ, and farmers must take action to combat climate change by implementing sustainable production techniques.

The need for farmers to adapt was also emphasized by environmentalists.

According to Emily Bailey of Climate Justice Taranaki, “this country’s rural and agricultural sector has been heavily damaged by floods, violent storms, and droughts this year alone.”

It only gets worse, she declared.

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“Farmers must change and reduce their emissions quickly, or they and everyone else will suffer more.”

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