An independent adviser to the government of Denmark wants the country to aim at reducing beef and dairy production by levying an emissions tax on farming of 750 Danish crowns ($108) per tonne for it to reach its ambitious climate targets.
The report by the Danish Climate Council, which provides recommendations to the government says such a tax on farming will increase the incentive for farmers to switch to crops and pork production which emit less greenhouse gases than cattle.
This is coming after the December 2022 announcement by the new government that it sees an emissions tax on farming as crucial to achieving a binding target of reducing CO2 emissions by 70% of 1990 levels as emissions from belching cows are a major component of agricultural methane.
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According to Statistics Denmark, the sector currently accounts for 28% of emissions and the council said that if no new policies are introduced, farming in Denmark will account for around 40% of emissions in 2030.
A carbon tax of 750 crowns per tonne would be similar to the level for other industries which was agreed by parliament in June last year, though a farming lobby group has warned it would lead to a wave of bankruptcies among farmers.
However, Niels Peter Norring, head of climate Danish Agriculture & Food Council said such a tax would “move jobs abroad and prevent Denmark from developing the solutions that can really make a difference to the climate” and wants the industry should look into alternative solutions like cattle feed additives, which could lower the amount of methane released from cows by 25-30%.
Story was adapted from Reuters.
