New Zealand Proposes Taxing Cow Burps, Angering Farmers
2022-10-13
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1New Zealand's government recently proposed taxing the greenhouse gases from farm animals as part of a plan to fight climate change.
2Farm animals produce gases through natural processes like burping and urinating.
3The government said the taxes would be a world's first.
4They said that farmers should be able to get the money back by charging more for climate-friendly products.
5But farmers quickly criticized the plan.
6Federated Farmers is the industry's main political support group.
7It said the plan would "rip the guts out of small-town New Zealand" and see farms replaced with trees.
8Andrew Hoggard, the group's president, said farmers had been trying to work with the government for more than two years.
9They were working on a plan to reduce greenhouse gas production that would not decrease food production.
10Hoggard said, "Our plan was to keep farmers farming."
11But, with the taxes, he said, farmers would be quickly selling their farms.
12The conservative ACT Party is the main opposition group.
13Members of the party said the plan would increase worldwide greenhouse gas production by moving farming to other countries that were less efficient at making food.
14New Zealand's farming industry is very important for its economy.
15Milk products, including those used to make milk for baby food in China, are the nation's largest export earner.
16There are just 5 million people in New Zealand.
17But the country has some 26 million sheep and 10 million farm animals producing milk and meat.
18About half of New Zealand's greenhouse gas comes from farms.
19Farm animals produce gasses that warm the planet like methane and nitrous oxide from burping and urinating.
20The New Zealand government wants to reduce greenhouse gas production and make the country carbon neutral by 2050.
21Under the government's proposal, farmers would start to pay for greenhouse gas production in 2025.
22The price has yet to be finalized.
23Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said all the money collected from the proposed tax would be put back into the industry.
24It would support new technology, research, and payments for farmers.
25Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor said New Zealand farmers were already experiencing the impact of climate change with periods of dry weather and flooding.
26"Taking the lead on agricultural emissions is both good for the environment and our economy," he said.
27The proposal is similar to another unsuccessful proposal made in 2003 to tax farm animals for their methane production.
28Back then, farmers greatly opposed the idea and political opponents criticized it.
29And the government dropped the plan.
30The debate in New Zealand is part of a larger international discussion on the effects of farming on the environment and the steps some say are needed to reduce its impact.
31In the European nation of the Netherlands, farmers have blocked large, busy roads with farming products and vehicles.
32They did so to protest government proposals to decrease the production of greenhouse gases.
33I'm Jill Robbins.
1New Zealand's government recently proposed taxing the greenhouse gases from farm animals as part of a plan to fight climate change. Farm animals produce gases through natural processes like burping and urinating. 2The government said the taxes would be a world's first. They said that farmers should be able to get the money back by charging more for climate-friendly products. 3But farmers quickly criticized the plan. 4Federated Farmers is the industry's main political support group. It said the plan would "rip the guts out of small-town New Zealand" and see farms replaced with trees. 5Andrew Hoggard, the group's president, said farmers had been trying to work with the government for more than two years. They were working on a plan to reduce greenhouse gas production that would not decrease food production. Hoggard said, "Our plan was to keep farmers farming." But, with the taxes, he said, farmers would be quickly selling their farms. 6The conservative ACT Party is the main opposition group. Members of the party said the plan would increase worldwide greenhouse gas production by moving farming to other countries that were less efficient at making food. 7More cows than people 8New Zealand's farming industry is very important for its economy. Milk products, including those used to make milk for baby food in China, are the nation's largest export earner. 9There are just 5 million people in New Zealand. But the country has some 26 million sheep and 10 million farm animals producing milk and meat. 10About half of New Zealand's greenhouse gas comes from farms. Farm animals produce gasses that warm the planet like methane and nitrous oxide from burping and urinating. 11The New Zealand government wants to reduce greenhouse gas production and make the country carbon neutral by 2050. Under the government's proposal, farmers would start to pay for greenhouse gas production in 2025. The price has yet to be finalized. 12Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said all the money collected from the proposed tax would be put back into the industry. It would support new technology, research, and payments for farmers. 13Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor said New Zealand farmers were already experiencing the impact of climate change with periods of dry weather and flooding. "Taking the lead on agricultural emissions is both good for the environment and our economy," he said. 14The proposal is similar to another unsuccessful proposal made in 2003 to tax farm animals for their methane production. Back then, farmers greatly opposed the idea and political opponents criticized it. And the government dropped the plan. 15The debate in New Zealand is part of a larger international discussion on the effects of farming on the environment and the steps some say are needed to reduce its impact. 16In the European nation of the Netherlands, farmers have blocked large, busy roads with farming products and vehicles. They did so to protest government proposals to decrease the production of greenhouse gases. 17I'm Jill Robbins. 18The Assocaited Press reported this story. Greg Stachel adapted the story for Learning English. 19_________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21greenhouse gas - n. gas that cause the warming of the earth's atmosphere 22burp - v. to let out air from the stomach through the mouth with a sound 23urinate - v. to send urine out of the body 24rip the guts out of - phr. v. to hurt someone or something in the worst possible way 25efficient - adj. capable of producing desired results without wasting materials, time, or energy 26_______________________________________________________________ 27What do you think of reducing greenhouse gases? 28We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 29Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.